The Prime Minister is the head of the government. They choose their cabinet, and reside in 10 Downing Street. They have a fleet of police-escorted cars, usually British built, which are fitted with extra security features including in-built gun ports and an independent oxygen supply that can be used to disperse tear gas. They are responsible for the overall direction of the government, and appoints secretaries of state to lead each department. The Prime Minister is able to request that Parliament is dissolved and calls a general election, although they must be careful not to do so until they are certain that they have the support of the majority of MPs in order to retain their authority.
The prime minister is the leader of the party that wins the most seats at a general election and has the power to select their cabinet. They also have the power to reshuffle their cabinet at any time. They are also in charge of forming and running the government, and their decisions are collectively accountable to Parliament.
In many countries, the Prime Minister is the most powerful figure in the political system. However, the term did not appear in official documents until the first decade of the twentieth century and many governments still do not recognize it as an office.
The Prime Minister has a variety of executive powers, but only some of these are codified in statute. Many are part of the Royal Prerogative, and are therefore formally vested in Secretaries of State who have substantial budgets voted to them by Parliament. As a result, the Institute for Government states that ‘the Cabinet Office is a long way from becoming a fully-fledged premier’s department’.