Cabinet Office written statement – made at on 20 March 2008.
Ed Miliband
Minister (Cabinet Office) and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
In line with established practice, guidance has today been issued to civil servants in UK Departments on the principles that they should observe in relation to the conduct of Government business in the run-up to the forthcoming elections to local authorities in England and Wales and to the Greater London authority, that are taking place on
The guidance sets out the principles on the need to maintain the political impartiality of the civil service, and the need to ensure that public resources are not used for party political purposes. The period of sensitivity preceding the local elections starts on
Copies of the guidance have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses and on the Cabinet Office website at:
http:/www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety_and_ethics/civil_service/election_guidance.aspx
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
