The cabinet is the ultimate decision-making body of the government of the United Kingdom. It is composed of the prime minister and the most senior government ministers, most of whom are secretaries of state in charge of major government departments. These ministers are accountable to parliament for decisions taken by the cabinet.

The prime minister determines the membership of the cabinet.

The stance of the cabinet is guided by the core constitutional convention of collective responsibility, which dictates that all members must publicly support all government decisions or resign from their posts.

Current cabinet:

• Prime minister, first lord of the Treasury, minister for the civil service, and minister for the union: Andy Burnham
• First secretary of state and chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster: Louise Haigh
• Chancellor of the exchequer: John Healey
• Secretary of state for foreign, commonwealth and development affairs: Ed Miliband
• Secretary of state for the home department: Shabana Mahmood
• Secretary of state for defence: Wes Streeting
• Lord chancellor and secretary of state for justice: Alex Norris
• Secretary of state for business, innovation, science and trade: Jonathan Reynolds
• Secretary of state for health and social care: Yvette Cooper
• Secretary of state for education: Lucy Powell
• Secretary of state for energy security and net zero: Miatta Fahnbulleh
• Secretary of state for housing, communities and local government: Angela Rayner
• Secretary of state for work and pensions: Pat McFadden
• Secretary of state for transport: Heidi Alexander
• Secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs: Angela Eagle
• Secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport: Lisa Nandy
• Secretary of state for Northern Ireland: Sir Chris Bryant
• Secretary of state for Scotland: Douglas Alexander
• Secretary of state for Wales: Stephen Kinnock
• Minister for women and equalities: Bridget Phillipson
• Lord president of the council and leader of the House of Commons: Sir Alan Campbell
• Lord privy seal and leader of the House of Lords: Baroness Smith of Basildon

Also attending cabinet:

• Parliamentary secretary to the Treasury (chief whip): Anneliese Midgley
• Chief secretary to the Treasury: Emma Reynolds
• Attorney general: Ellie Reeves
• Minister for artificial intelligence: Kanishka Narayan
• Minister for intergovernmental relations and European relations: Hamish Falconer
• Minister of state for housing: Matthew Pennycook

Roles and function of the cabinet

Collective responsibility

Collective cabinet responsibility is a key constitutional convention that shapes the government of the United Kingdom. It dictates that all members of the government are jointly responsible for its policies and decisions and must publicly support them, regardless of any private reservations.

The convention is not a law but a binding rule of political conduct set out in the ministerial code. It is underpinned by three principles: confidence, unanimity and confidentiality.

Ultimately, if a minister finds they cannot publicly support a government position, they are expected to resign from their role. This convention ensures that the government presents a united front to parliament and the public.

In exceptional cases, ministers have been allowed to dissent publicly without breaching the principle of collective responsibility. This happens according to terms set out by the prime minister; a notable example is the 2016 Brexit referendum.

Cabinet meetings

Meetings of the full cabinet are traditionally held weekly in the Cabinet Room in 10 Downing Street, typically on a Tuesday morning while parliament is in session. The prime minister chairs the meetings when they are present and sets the agenda. Individual ministers may present papers prepared by their departments to seek the endorsement of their colleagues. The summary of the meeting, known as the cabinet minute, stands as the official record of the decision.

There are no set rules about the issues that should be considered by the cabinet. According to the cabinet manual, which sets out the main laws, rules and conventions affecting the conduct and operation of government, the following issues are typically discussed at cabinet:

• Decisions to take military action
• The government’s legislative priorities to be set out in the king’s speech
• Issues of a constitutional nature, including matters relating to the monarchy, reform of parliament and changes to the devolution settlements
• The most significant domestic policy issues
• The most significant European or international business
• Issues that impact on every member of cabinet
• National emergencies, including terrorism

The length and style of meetings are often seen as an indication of a prime minister’s leadership style. While the cabinet is, in theory, the central collective decision-making body, in practice a prime minister may arrive with decisions already made – either independently or in consultation with a small group of allies or senior ministers.

Over time, the cabinet’s role as a forum for genuine debate is generally considered to have diminished. Tony Blair, prime minister from 1997 to 2007, is said to have run a “sofa government”, relying on informal meetings and private discussions rather than full cabinet sessions to make key decisions.

The nature of the government will affect the style and substance of cabinet proceedings. Under David Cameron’s coalition government (2010-2015), the cabinet featured five Liberal Democrat MPs, namely Nick Clegg as deputy prime minister, Vince Cable as business secretary, David Laws as chief secretary to the Treasury, Chris Huhne as energy and climate change secretary and Danny Alexander as secretary of state for Scotland.

To manage the relationship and make key strategic decisions, a core group known as the “quad” was established. This consisted of the prime minister, the deputy prime minister, the chancellor (George Osborne), and the chief secretary to the Treasury. Alexander succeeded Laws as chief secretary to the Treasury shortly after the coalition was consolidated.

The centrality of the cabinet to policy decisions may also depend on the political strength of the prime minister and the degree of trust they place in key ministers.

Cabinet committees

In practice, much of the detailed policy work and decision-making occurs in smaller cabinet committees. These committees are appointed by the prime minister to focus on specific areas of policy, such as national security or economic affairs.

The decisions reached by a cabinet committee have the same authority as a decision of the full cabinet. This system allows for more efficient processing of government business, with only the most important or contentious issues being brought before the full cabinet for discussion.

Committees are usually established to consider a particular area of government business, such as home or domestic affairs, or national security. Sub-committees may also be established to consider detailed issues.

The committee structure varies depending on the requirements of the incumbent government.

The cabinet manual states: “Cabinet committees help to ensure that government business is processed more effectively by relieving pressure on cabinet.

“The committee structure also supports the principle of collective responsibility, ensuring that policy proposals receive thorough consideration without an issue having to be referred to the whole cabinet. Cabinet committee decisions have the same authority as cabinet decisions.”

Cabinet reshuffles

A cabinet reshuffle is the process by which a prime minister changes the composition of their top ministerial team. The power to appoint, dismiss and move ministers between departments is one of an incumbent prime minister’s most significant personal powers, known as the power of patronage.

A major reshuffle can involve a large number of ministers changing roles, while a smaller ‘mini-reshuffle’ may occur following the unexpected resignation of a single minister. Larger reshuffles are generally regarded as high-stakes political events; they generate intense media speculation and offer insight into the prime minister’s priorities, authority and strategic direction.

In selecting or reshuffling the cabinet, the prime minister must balance a range of political and personal imperatives. These include managing party factions, rewarding loyalty and maintaining internal discipline. A reshuffle can also be used to refresh the government – particularly mid-way through a parliamentary term – by promoting a new generation of MPs, addressing perceptions of drift and injecting a sense of renewed energy and purpose.

Reshuffles may also be reactive, allowing the prime minister to respond to events by removing ministers who have underperformed, become embroiled in scandal or proved politically problematic.

What is the salary of a cabinet minister?

MPs who serve as ministers or hold specific parliamentary offices are entitled to an additional salary on top of their basic MP’s salary. However, the ministerial portion of these salaries has been voluntarily frozen by successive governments since 2015.

The prime minister’s £174,039 salary consists of their £98,599 MP salary and a frozen claimed ministerial salary of £75,440. (Legal entitlement for ministerial salary is £80,807).

The standard salary for cabinet ministers (chancellor, secretaries of state, etc) is £161,409, which consists of an MP’s salary and a frozen claimed ministerial salary of £67,505. (Legal entitlement for ministerial salary is £72,454).

Political cabinet

At the discretion of the prime minister, members of cabinet may meet to discuss party-political matters in a ‘political cabinet’. These meetings can take place in the Cabinet Room, but officials do not attend, and no formal minutes are kept of the discussions or conclusions.

Secrecy and historical records

The deliberations of the cabinet are held in private to allow for frank discussion. Minutes of cabinet meetings and the papers presented are, by convention, released to the National Archives and made available to the public after a period of 20 years.

The Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 amended the Public Records Act 1958 to reduce this period from 30 years to 20.

Additional resources

• GOV.UK – The Cabinet Manual: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a79d5d7e5274a18ba50f2b6/cabinet-manual.pdf
• BBC News, ‘The cabinet: What is it and what does it do?’: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-63385259