‘Off With Their Heads’: British Prime Ministers and the Power to Dismiss
@article{King2010OffWT, title={‘Off With Their Heads’: British Prime Ministers and the Power to Dismiss}, author={Anthony King and Nicholas Allen}, journal={British Journal of Political Science}, year={2010}, volume={40}, pages={249 - 278} }
The British prime minister’s power to appoint and dismiss ministers is probably his most important single power. This article explores how prime ministers from Macmillan to Blair have used that power. The article considers the criteria that prime ministers use when choosing to appoint or dismiss individuals from office before examining the calculations and miscalculations that prime ministers have made in practice. Finally, the article analyses the way that prime ministers have exercised, in…
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