Why is there no deputy prime minister?

[Whenismumhome]

All this talk about the US elections got me thinking about our own politics here in the UK

The last time we had a Deputy prime minister was when Nick Clegg was DPM alongside David Cameron.

How come Theresa May didn’t have one and how come Boris Johnson doesn’t have one either?

It’s at the Prime Ministers discretion. The chancellor is usually considered the deputy I believe. Nick Clegg only got that title as an agreement to ensure that the Lib Dem’s got into a coalition with the conservatives.

Bojo is deputy Cummings runs the show

Because we don't elect the PM. The PM is selected by the party in power, so if the PM was incapacitated that party would select another leader/PM.

I thought Raab was?

Isn't Raab de facto PM if Boris is incapacitated?

As far as I'm aware someone from the cabinet has to take over temporarily if PM not able to.

@isitspringyet

Bojo is deputy Cummings runs the show

@Frownette I read that as “decapitated” and thought that was a weirdly specific circumstance

Traditionally, the Labour Party always have a Deputy PM whereas the Tory party don't.

The Deputy Leader of the Labour Party is elected at the same time as the Leader is. I'm not sure why the Tory party don't have one. It makes it much more difficult if the
PM is suddenly incapacitated. with Covid
as no one is obviously in charge.

@EmmaGrundyForPM

Traditionally, the Labour Party always have a Deputy PM whereas the Tory party don't.

The Deputy Leader of the Labour Party is elected at the same time as the Leader is. I'm not sure why the Tory party don't have one. It makes it much more difficult if the
PM is suddenly incapacitated. with Covid
as no one is obviously in charge.

I did wonder - I remember John Prescott being deputy.

And yes, the lack of an identified deputy when Boris was hospitalised really did tell.

@isitspringyet

Bojo is deputy Cummings runs the show

I think this too.

@isitspringyet

Bojo is deputy Cummings runs the show

This

@EmmaGrundyForPM

Traditionally, the Labour Party always have a Deputy PM whereas the Tory party don't.

The Deputy Leader of the Labour Party is elected at the same time as the Leader is. I'm not sure why the Tory party don't have one. It makes it much more difficult if the
PM is suddenly incapacitated. with Covid
as no one is obviously in charge.

The UK government works through collective cabinet responsibility where the PM is "first among equals" Cabinet makes decisions with the PM in the chair. It's not the same as the US presidency and theoretically someone just needs to chair the cabinet to lead the decisions on a day to day basis. As someone said upthread the public elects a party not a PM. It did raise some tricky questions at the time BJ was ill about eg what would happen if military action needed to take place but my reading of that was that it was because BJ wasn't sufficiently clear about what Raab's role would be in standing in for him in a situation like that where there was a final responsibility lying with one person.

@allthewaterinthetap

I thought Raab was?

He's First Secretary of State, I believe. I think the post of foreign secretary always carries this responsibility; to deputise for the prime minister in parliament when necessary (such as when Johnson was very ill earlier this year).

I think deputy PM is a different post but I don't quite know how or why. It gets into some technical bits of parliamentary and party law and tradition that bothers my head.

[quote TheRuleofStix]@Frownette I read that as “decapitated” and thought that was a weirdly specific circumstance [/quote]
Wishful thinking perhaps?

It's not a formal post. The lack of this did show when Mr Johnson was in intensive care, though I think probably because Mr Raab is useless not for any other reason.

He's First Secretary of State, I believe. I think the post of foreign secretary always carries this responsibility

No the PM can pick whoever they want.

Traditionally, the Labour Party always have a Deputy PM whereas the Tory party don't.

Not at all. The only labour one post was was Prescott. Tories have had more than Labour.

Sometimes it's first secretary of state, sometimes it's deputy PM (often when they aren't actually a sec of state but not always).

There have been long periods of neither, sometimes with unofficial deputies.

• that should be post war, not post was.