Politics class: Keir Starmer to take aim at Whitehall with new UK ‘mission’ targets

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Specification:

• AQA Component 1, Section 3.1.1.3: The Prime Minister and Cabinet

• Edexcel Component 2, Section 3.3.2: The Prime Minister and the Cabinet

Background: what you need to know

Both examination boards require Politics students to make an in-depth study of two Prime Ministers, one from 1945-97 and one since 1997. You are asked to assess their ability to control events and policy. If you choose Keir Starmer as your post-1997 example, you need to start collecting material and reflecting on his performance.

The article discusses Starmer’s attempt to reassure voters that the Labour government is making progress on its plans for the economy and public services. With his popularity falling since the general election, this has inevitably been depicted as a ‘reset’ for a failing administration. Critics have argued that the Prime Minister’s emphasis on target-setting seems technocratic and remote from people’s everyday concerns, and that he will be judged on the actual delivery of reforms.

Click the link below to read the article and then answer the questions:

Keir Starmer to take aim at Whitehall with new UK ‘mission’ targets

Question in the style of AQA Politics Paper 1

• ‘The UK Prime Minister’s power to control events and shape policy is limited.’ Analyse and evaluate this statement.

  In your answer you should draw on material from across the whole range of your course of study in Politics. [25 marks]

Question in the style of Edexcel Politics Paper 2

• Evaluate the argument that UK Prime Ministers lack power to control events and shape policy.

  In your answer you should draw on relevant knowledge and understanding of the study of Component 1: UK politics and core political ideas. You must consider this view and the alternative to this view in a balanced way. [30 marks]

  TIP: A possible Component 1 topic is the role of the media. How far has Starmer’s position been weakened by negative reporting, and how does this compare with the treatment of other Prime Ministers at this stage in their premiership?

Graham Goodlad, Portsmouth High School