Hello Internet. During the Coronavirus Pandemic, the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson became
seriously infected with COVID-19 and was placed in Intensive Care as a precautionary measure. In the
mean time, he appointed the then-foreign secretary Dominic Raab as the acting leader of the Cabinet
and therefore the country. This raised serious questions as to what exactly happens if the Prime
Minister dies or otherwise removed from office suddenly and unexpectedly with no named successor.
Unlike the United States with it’s rigid succession structure, ensuring a seamless
transition of power and command of nuclear weapons, this does not exist in the UK – at least,
not in elected offices. The last time a Prime Minister died in office was in 1865. Before then,
the Monarch would usually select the Minister they thought was most capable to take over.
But we now live in the 21st century, with rules, democracy, and constitutional monarchy.
This wouldn’t fly in the modern day. Yet with all the forces that have wanted to kill
the Prime Minister throughout the decades, there is still no clear line of succession.
Many people throughout history have held the title “Deputy Prime Minister”
but this is merely just a name and no duties come with it – they wouldn’t
necessarily succeed the prime minister in the event of his or her death.
Clement Attlee was unofficially the Deputy Prime Minister during World War II because
during the war, all major parties joined a coalition government under Winston Churchill.
Labour MPs were given the task of running the home front – rationing, employment, factories,
et cetera – while the Conservatives ran the military and the conduct of the actual war.
However, if Churchill were to die, Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden, a Conservative,
was the designated successor. Attlee merely stood in for Churchill during cabinet meetings
and in parliament if Churchill was not available. In the ensuing decades,
many others were the unofficial deputy prime minister
The first official deputy prime minister was Michael Heseltine,
who was appointed by John Major in 1995. This was because John Major was often away
in Europe negotiating various treaties with the European Union, and needed someone to meet with
ministers and speak in parliament when he was away. This was followed by John Prescott in
1997 when Tony Blair and Labour took over, and then...nobody. Gordon Brown didn’t appoint one.
All this changed after the 2010 election, when no party won a majority of seats
and the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats teamed up to form a government. As the leader
of the second largest party in that government, Nick Clegg was appointed Deputy by David Cameron,
to say thank you for being such a spineless fucking melt.
And lastly, in 2021, Dominic Raab was appointed Deputy Prime Minister because...he
just was. Boris felt like it.
But as we said before, the DPM merely fills in when the prime minister is busy
and thankfully Nick Clegg was never really anywhere close to becoming Prime Minister.
So, again, what happens when the PM meets the PM (post-mortem)?
The last Prime Minister to die in office was Lord Henry Palmerston
in 1865. After an informal meeting between the four most important Ministers at the time,
they agreed to recommend Queen Victoria appoint Lord John Russell as Palmerston’s successor.
This is probably the “fairest” and most realistic of all the examples,
because it actually involves elected people deciding on the leadership. Before then,
it was only the monarch’s personal opinion as to who should be in charge of the government.
For example, George Canning died in office in 1827
and George IV simply appointed his personal favourite cabinet member; Viscount Goderich.
But that was hundreds of years ago. What would happen today?
In all likeliness, the Cabinet will hold an emergency meeting
and nominate one of their own as an emergency temporary prime-minister.
And it’s most likely that the Secretary of State – as the highest ranking member of the cabinet
below the Prime Minister – would be the one to be selected. But in 2006, the Cabinet Office
were alleged to have said that the decision ultimately rests with the monarch, and if they
thought the Secretary of State was...less than ideal, they could pick someone else.
But death isn’t the only way a PM can be jobn’t – they could resign with immediate effect,
or be removed by a Vote of No Confidence. Under current rules,
if this occurs, parliament will have two weeks to find and confirm a successor,
or parliament will be dissolved and a new election called.
That’s your answer.
However, there is one thing left unmentioned. Who is in charge when there is no Prime Minister?
After an election, the outgoing prime minister gives his resignation to the Monarch
roughly 20 minutes before the new prime minister arrives to be appointed.
Alternatively, in the hours or days after the PM’s death
before the Cabinet can reach a decision, nobody is legally running the government.
Not trying to give anyone any ideas, buuuuuuut-
Luckily, there is a definitive answer to this.
The Prime Minister will appoint an Alternative Decision Maker,
probably the Chief of Defence Staff, or the Secretary of Defence, to push the button in their
absence. Because even if the party has lost an election and the prime minister is out of office,
the Defence Secretary and other ministers stay in office until the new prime minister replaces them.
And there you have it. If the Prime Minister dies without a named successor,
it’s the Secretary of State, unless the cabinet or the monarch decides otherwise,
and if nukes are on the table, it’s the Secretary of Defence.