Prime minister | Role, Powers & Responsibilities

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Topics</a> </div> <div class="tlr-media-slider pb-10 mb-30"> <a class="section-header link-gray-900 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mb-10 mx-10" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/prime-minister/images-videos">Images</a> <div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100 "> <div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex overflow-hidden text-nowrap ml-15"> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/71/4971-050-2CEC45A8/detail-Godfrey-Kneller-Robert-Walpole-oil-painting.jpg" data-href="/media/1/476331/24497" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/71/4971-004-105352EB/detail-Godfrey-Kneller-Robert-Walpole-oil-painting.jpg" alt="Walpole, Robert" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/81/9581-050-7386AB55/Cardinal-de-Richelieu-detail-portrait-Philippe-Champaigne.jpg" data-href="/media/1/476331/13757" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img 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font-14 font-weight-bold mx-10 mb-10"> For Students </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/summary/prime-minister"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/images/shared/default3.png?v=3.130.14" class="default " height="200" width="200"/> </a> </div> <div class="card-body ilf-content"> <a class="font-weight-semi-bold d-block mb-5 font-16 ilf-title" href="/summary/prime-minister" >prime minister summary</a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="mb-30 tlr-related-quizzes"> <div class="text-gray-900 p-5 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-10 mb-10"> Quizzes </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image 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Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). </div> <div class="type-menu"> <label for="feedback-type" class="label mb-10">Feedback Type</label> <select id="feedback-type" class="form-select mb-30" name="feedbackTypeId" required> <option value="" selected="selected">Select a type (Required)</option> <option value="1">Factual Correction</option> <option value="2">Spelling/Grammar Correction</option> <option value="3">Link Correction</option> <option value="4">Additional Information</option> <option value="5">Other</option> </select> </div> <label for="feedback" class="label mb-10">Your Feedback</label> <textarea id="feedback" class="form-control mb-30" name="feedback" maxlength="3000" rows="7" required></textarea> <button class="btn btn-blue" type="submit">Submit Feedback</button> </form> <div class="success-messaging d-none mt-30"> <div class="title">Thank you for your feedback</div> <p>Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="md-websites-modal size-lg d-none"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif pb-15 border-bottom font-weight-bold"> External Websites </div> <div class="pb-20"> <ul class="list-unstyled mt-20 lh-lg"> <li><a class="external" href="https://history.blog.gov.uk/2012/01/01/the-institution-of-prime-minister/" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">GOV.UK - Blog - History of Government - The Institution of Prime Minister</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="md-websites-ebk-title">Britannica Websites</div> <div class="md-websites-ebk-subtitle">Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.</div> <ul class="list-unstyled bps-topic-web-sites lh-lg"> <li><a class="external" href="https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/prime-minister/476305" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prime minister - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/prime-minister/313066" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prime minister - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="toc-header-marker"></div> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 js-header-ai-ask-button d-none btn-sm btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 mr-0 mr-lg-10 ml-5 ml-sm-10 ml-lg-0 p-10"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> <div class="caption alternate-titles">Also known as: premier</div> <div class="md-byline module-spacing "> <div class="font-serif font-12"> <span class="written-by text-gray-700"> Written by </span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/contributor/Patrick-Dunleavy/6067" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">Patrick Dunleavy</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 clamp-description text-black">Professor of Political Science and Public Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, United Kingdom. Coeditor of <i>Prime Minister, Cabinet and Core Executive</i>, <i>Developments in British...</i></div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> Patrick Dunleavy</span></div> <div class="font-serif font-12 text-gray-700"> <span class="qa-fact-checked-by">Fact-checked by</span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 font-12" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link font-12 "> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2024-11-22T00:00:00CST" >Nov 22, 2024</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/prime-minister/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Also called: </dt> <dd>premier</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Key People: </dt> <dd><a href="/biography/Shavkat-Mirziyoyev" topicid="1008946">Shavkat Mirziyoyev</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Related Topics: </dt> <dd><a href="/topic/Prime-Minister-of-India" topicid="1912158">prime minister of India</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/vote-of-confidence" topicid="633033">vote of confidence</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/taoiseach" topicid="582970">taoiseach</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/office-government" topicid="425680">office</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/prime-minister"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><div class="bg-gray-50 p-15 rounded 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class="recent-news-item mt-5"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/06/us-election-2024-abbott-morrison-australian-mps-praise-trump-likely-victory" rel="nofollow">Australia’s conservatives praise Trump’s ‘self-belief’ as PM sends congratulations</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Nov. 6, 2024, 1:10 AM ET (The Guardian) </span> </div> <button class="js-toggle-recent-news d-flex btn btn-unstyled font-14 pr-10 rounded-sm mt-10" aria-label="Toggle additional news items"> Show less <em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_less"></em> </button> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref181531"></span>prime minister</strong>, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/head-of-government" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">head of government</a> in a country with a <span id="ref181532"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/parliament-government" class="md-crosslink ">parliamentary</a> or semipresidential <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/political-system" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">political system</a>. In such systems, the prime minister—literally the “first,” or most important, minister—must be able to command a <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="continuous" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/continuous" data-type="EB">continuous</a> majority in the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/legislature" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">legislature</a> (usually the lower house in a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/bicameral-system" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">bicameral system</a>) to remain in office.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="marker h2"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref257665"><h2 class="h1">Development of the office of prime minister</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="13757" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/81/9581-050-7386AB55/Cardinal-de-Richelieu-detail-portrait-Philippe-Champaigne.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/476331/13757"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/81/9581-050-7386AB55/Cardinal-de-Richelieu-detail-portrait-Philippe-Champaigne.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/81/9581-050-7386AB55/Cardinal-de-Richelieu-detail-portrait-Philippe-Champaigne.jpg?w=300" alt="Cardinal de Richelieu" data-width="1323" data-height="1600" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/81/9581-050-7386AB55/Cardinal-de-Richelieu-detail-portrait-Philippe-Champaigne.jpg" data-href="/media/1/476331/13757">Cardinal de Richelieu</a><span>Cardinal de Richelieu, detail of a portrait by Philippe de Champaigne; in the Louvre, Paris.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Most countries with prime ministers have two executives, a head of government (the prime minister) and a head of state (generally either a non-executive <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/president-government-official" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">president</a> or a hereditary monarch). The head of state formally appoints the prime minister, who in turn selects the other <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/cabinet-government" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">cabinet</a> ministers. In practice, however, the choice exercised by the head of state is often quite limited (except in semipresidential systems); it is restricted generally to the head of the largest party or coalition in the legislature (typically the lower house in a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/bicameral-system" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">bicameral system</a>). Although the origin of the title lies in 17th-century <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/France" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">France</a>, where <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Armand-Jean-du-Plessis-cardinal-et-duc-de-Richelieu" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Cardinal de Richelieu</a> was acknowledged in 1624 as <em>principal</em> or <em>premier ministre</em>, the office essentially developed in Britain in the 18th century, when the king ceased to attend and chair meetings of his ministers. This change left powerful premiers to take on the role of government <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/chief-political-leader" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">chief</a> executive—for example, <span id="ref181534"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-Walpole-1st-Earl-of-Orford" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Robert Walpole</a> (1721–42), who is generally considered Britain’s first prime minister, and <span id="ref181535"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-Pitt-the-Younger" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">William Pitt, the Younger</a> (1783–1801; 1804–06). During their long <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="tenures" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tenures" data-type="MW">tenures</a>, the prime minister became the preeminent cabinet member, supervising and coordinating the work of every government department; other cabinet members were required to subscribe to the government’s official policy; and the prime minister was required to command a majority in the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/House-of-Commons-British-government" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">House of Commons</a>—all characteristics shared by modern prime ministers.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Since the development of the office of prime minister, holders of the position have typically concentrated on the most high-profile or strategic aspects of government, particularly top-level <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/international-relations" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">foreign relations</a>, major defense decisions, macroeconomic policy, and the government’s legislative timetable and priorities. As a result, relations between the prime minister and the foreign and finance ministers (and defense ministers during conflicts) are normally key indicators of the success of a government. In the modern period the role of prime minister has been <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="enhanced" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enhanced" data-type="MW">enhanced</a> by the emergence of international summits and heads of government meetings (e.g., the regular meetings of the heads of government of members of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/European-Union" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">European Union</a>) as key events in international <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/diplomacy" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">diplomacy</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Nevertheless, the role and influence of premiers (using their own political resources) have tended to be eroded by the increased specialization of government and the expanded role of <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="bureaucracies" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bureaucracies" data-type="MW">bureaucracies</a> and government professionals. For example, in the late 1980s in the United Kingdom the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="Conservative" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Conservative" data-type="MW">Conservative</a> prime minister <span id="ref909390"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Margaret-Thatcher" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Margaret Thatcher</a> intervened personally to force through changes in Britain’s football (soccer) grounds, such as the installation of steel cages to pen in crowds, to counteract the politically embarrassing problem of football “hooliganism.” But these changes destroyed a delicate balance between crowd control and crowd safety, and they were subsequently abandoned following the death in 1989 of more than 90 football fans who were crushed against fences at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield. Equally, Thatcher’s introduction of a “poll tax,” an unpopular local tax that charged rich and poor alike at the same rate, proved impossible to <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="implement" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/implement" data-type="MW">implement</a> and was scrapped within two years of its introduction at a cost of billions of pounds. Indeed, the public backlash against the introduction of the tax created opposition from Conservative members of the House of Commons, which induced Thatcher’s resignation as prime minister and her replacement by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Major" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">John Major</a>, her chancellor of the Exchequer. These examples illustrate that “policy communities” in many different areas of government may command detailed expertise on issues that prime ministers may override—sometimes at their own peril. In most countries, premiers have tried to ease these <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="limitations" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/limitations" data-type="EB">limitations</a> on their influence by building up their own policy staffs with expertise and establishing units to oversee the enactment of their key strategies and priorities. But there is only limited evidence that such policy centralization can work successfully.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Most countries in the world now have established an office of prime minister (alternatively called premier or <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/chancellor" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">chancellor</a>). However, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/United-States" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">United States</a> and many African and Latin American countries have adopted <span id="ref909393"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/president-government-official" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">presidential</a> systems consisting of an <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/executive-government" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">executive</a> president (who is also head of state) and a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/separation-of-powers" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">separation of powers</a> between the legislature and the executive. In these countries, the president picks his own cabinet or government, which does not depend on legislative support to remain in office (<em>see</em> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/presidency-of-the-United-States-of-America" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">presidency of the United States of America</a>). Indeed, whereas in parliamentary systems prime ministers can be removed from office by the legislature through a simple <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/vote-of-confidence" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">vote of confidence</a>, executive presidents can generally be removed from office only through a more <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="cumbersome" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/cumbersome" data-type="EB">cumbersome</a> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/impeachment" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">impeachment</a> proceeding for serious crimes or abuse of office.</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/quiz/notable-prime-ministers-quiz" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/07/117707-131-CDEB03DB/Margaret-Thatcher-British-conference-Tory-Party-England-1981.jpg" alt="Margaret Thatcher at the Tory Party Conference in Blackpool, Oct. 14, 1981. 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