The Power of the Prime Minister

Originally published in 1968, the theme of this book is the decline of the influence of the House of Commons in general and the rise in particular in the power of the Prime Minister. The author looks behind the myths of how our constitution operates to describe what was actually happening in practice in the 2nd half of the 20th Century. The book highlights the way in which the Commons was failing to check and control the executive. It also makes valuable suggestions (which have since been adopted) to set up specialist committees, to consider the principal political issues of the day and how the House of Lords might be reformed.

Humphry Berkeley (1926-1994) was a British politician. He was well-known for his 3 changes of political parties and his early support for gay rights. In 1966, he introduced, and obtained a Second Reading for, the Sexual Offences Bill in the House of Commons. He was a sponsor of the Abolition of the Death Penalty Act. He was vice-President of the Anti-Apartheid Movement and Hon. Treasurer of the Howard League for Penal Reform.