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UK Government Examples

Prerogative Powers Of The Prime Minister

The UK-US ‘Tech Prosperity Deal’ As An Example Of The Presidentialisation and Prerogative Powers Of The Prime Minister:

• In September 2025, President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed a new technology partnership during the President’s second state visit to the UK. 

  • The deal includes major investments into artificial intelligence, quantum computing and nuclear power, with top US firms led by Microsoft pledging £31 billion in UK investments. 

• The ‘Tech Prosperity Deal’ is part of Trump’s second state visit to the UK, hosted by King Charles and the royal family, securing pledges of £250 billion between companies from both countries. 

  • The visit was hosted by the royal family, and Starmer said the UK and US had renewed their “special relationship for a new era”. 

• This demonstrates the main roles and prerogative powers of the executive to sign treaties, conduct diplomacy and lead negotiations with foreign leaders. 

  • This is important as it allows the Prime Minister and government to determine and conduct foreign policy in line with their agenda. 

    • Unlike legislation, Parliament cannot amend trade deals, and debates and votes remain largely at the discretion of the minister, giving the executive wide control.

• This also shows the growing presidentialisation of the Prime Minister, as Starmer personally fronted the negotiations, promoted the deal and acted unilaterally whilst side-lining Parliament.

UK Politics Examples

Party Policy

Reform UK Announces Plans To Scrap Indefinite Leave To Remain:

• In September 2025, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage unveiled his party’s new plans to tackle legal migration. He pledged to bar foreign nationals from claiming benefits and make the path to citizenship harder. 

  • Central to this was the abolition of Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), which allows foreign nationals to stay in the UK without any time limit, free to study, work or operate a business. 

    • They would replace this with a new system of 5-year renewable work visas, raising the salary threshold and required English Language Proficiency. 

    • The Acute Skills Shortage Visa would only allow firms to hire one worker from abroad if they train one domestic worker. These measures were presented as a response to the record-breaking levels of non-EU immigration to the UK post-pandemic. 

  • The abolition of ILR will apply not only to new arrivals, but also to those already in the country, leading to 100,000’s of people losing their settled status. 

• This is a crucial example of Reform’s party policy, positioned as a right-wing populist party advocating for tighter immigration controls, lower taxes and a revision of the UK’s net 0 plans. 

  • Since the 2024 General Election, Reform UK has seen a massive increase in their support in UK voting intention polls, putting pressure on the major parties and driving issues such as immigration up the political agenda. 

    • The faction has been able to influence the Government and Conservative party to take a strong stance on immigration, and highlights the indirect influence over policy that minor parties can have.

  • Despite being shifted to the right on immigration by Reform’s growing popularity, Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the new policy proposal as “racist” and “immoral”.

The Liberal Democrats’ Windfall Tax On Banks As An Example Of Party Policy:

• At the 2025 Liberal Democrat Party Conference, the party announced several key policies. 

• One of the first policies the Lib Dems launched was on the asylum system. The Lib Dems Home Affairs spokesperson told journalists that the government should use emergency wartime powers to clear the asylum backlog and reduce the use of hotels. 

  • Whilst continuing to stress a “compassionate” approach, they toughened their stance on immigration.  

• On the economy, they announced a windfall tax on big banks, who have seen billions in excess profits due to high interest rates. 

  • The revenue would fund low-interest home loans to install renewable energy systems, including solar panels, heat pumps and insulation. 

    • To deliver this, the Lib Dems plan to establish a new Energy Security Bank, offering loans of up to £20,000 for households.

• These policies reflect the Lib Dems ideological roots in Modern Liberalism, which accept that free-market capitalism produces inequalities that restrict true individual freedom. 

  • By advocating welfare provision and state intervention in areas like housing, energy and immigration, the party seeks to uphold its traditional commitment to securing the freedom of the individual.

US Politics and Government Examples

The Supreme Court and Presidency

The Supreme Court Shifts Power To The Executive (Trump v. Slaughter2025):

• In September 2025, the Supreme Court ruled in Trump v. Slaughter (2025), that President Trump could fire Rebecca Slaughter, a leader of the Federal Trade Commission, overturning a 90-year old limit on executive power over independent agencies. 

  • The court's 6-3 ruling departed from Humphery’s Executor v. United States (1935), which established that Congress had the authority to limit Presidential removal power for independent regulatory commissions, which are quasi-legislative and quasi-judicial. This set a precedent preventing Presidents from removing independent regulators without cause, solely over policy disagreements.

• Trump fired the commissioner without cause, however legislation declares that a commissioner cannot be fired without the required grounds specified by Congress: “inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office”. 

  • This was criticised by the liberal justices as shifting authority from Congress to the Presidency, undermining the separation of powers and eroding statutory protections shielding independent agencies from political influence. 

    • This weakens important checks on presidential power, as it removes a degree of independence which allows government agencies to work without political considerations. 

• This illustrates the Imperial Presidency theory, which posits that presidents have expanded their authority through political manoeuvring and exploitation of constitutional provisions. 

  • The imperial presidency is characterised by a diminished system of checks and balances, where the executive increasingly operates with minimal legislative or judicial oversight. 

    • This gives the President immense power to fire leaders at will, exceeding limits set by Congress. 

The Protection of Civil Liberties and Rights In The US Today

The Suspension Of Jimmy Kimmel As An Example Of The First Amendment:

• In September 2025, the White House pressured ABC to suspend late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, after he suggested the President did not care about the assassination of right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk. 

  • The President went further, suggesting the government should revoke the broadcast licenses of networks whose on-air personalities speak too harshly about him. 

• Kimmel was suspended after intense political pressure from the FCC chair Brendan Carr, who warned ABC’s affiliate stations could face threats to their broadcast licences if action was not taken. 

  • This was widely condemned as political censorship.

• In Trump’s second term, the government has used its power to limit what people can say. 

  • The Attorney General has vowed to ban hate speech that crosses the line into threats of violence. This has been criticised as violating the first amendment which protects freedom of speech and freedom of the press. 

• The Supreme Court ruled in National Rifle Association v. Vulli (2024) that the government cannot punish hate speech and must protect the freedom to express all political thought. 

  • They have defined the only type of speech to be limited as incitement to violence, requiring a likelihood of imminent violence, whilst mere advocacy of violence is legal. 

    • Whilst the FCC and the government have regulatory power, these are limited to ensuring compliance with licensing requirements. 

    • They have been criticised for overstepping the First Amendment by using their power to regulate broadcasters content, silence dissent and intimidate media outlets.