Political Leaders in Westminster Systems

Abstract

This chapter examines the role of political leaders in Westminster systems of government. The role of the prime minister, and more generally of party leaders, in Westminster systems has changed over the past half-century. In the immediate post-war years, the prime minister’s fate was inextricably bound up with that of his or her party; enduring voting patterns, the strength of the party system, and stable institutions of government all combined to ensure that the prime minister was the ‘first among equals’ and nothing more. However, a new pattern of prime ministerial authority emerged with the widespread use of television from the 1960s onwards to cover elections and politics in general. Partisan dealignment and a decline in election participation also gave party leaders an even more central position in the political game. Institutional changes, notably in the public service, and the increasing complexity of modern decision-making have further served to concentrate power in the hands of the prime minister.