How this works. Each paragraph below begins with the case AGAINST the line of argument. Your job is to rebut it: bring the inner-circle case back, then write a one-sentence interim judgement that lands the paragraph on your side. Aim for two to three sentences of rebuttal plus a clear interim judgement that uses words like nevertheless, on balance or this lead to. Use named cases (Truss, Cummings, Sue Gray, McSweeney) and stick to dates the mark scheme would reward.
The line of argument across all five paragraphs is:
Modern PMs rely more on their inner circle of advisers than on the Cabinet.
Paragraph 1Truss collapse
First half (against the LoA - already written)
The Truss episode of autumn 2022 is often cited as proof that Cabinet still rules. Truss and Kwarteng tried to govern through a small inner circle: the September mini-budget was drafted by a handful of Tufton Street advisers and not put to Cabinet. The result was the shortest premiership in modern British history. Within three weeks Cabinet ministers refused to defend the package, the parliamentary Conservative Party effectively imposed Jeremy Hunt as Chancellor, and every major measure was reversed. Truss had bypassed Cabinet, and Cabinet brought her down.
Your task: rebut, then end with an interim judgement
Hint: Now write the second half. Argue Truss confirms inner-circle dominance, not Cabinet rule. Use the September 2022 mini-budget and the Tufton Street group; address when Cabinet first acted. Lead to an interim judgement that supports the line of argument.
Paragraph 2Johnson 2022
First half (against the LoA - already written)
Boris Johnson's resignation in July 2022 looks like Cabinet government in action. Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid resigned within minutes of each other on 5 July, and over fifty ministers and aides followed within forty-eight hours. The Cabinet's collective withdrawal of consent ended the premiership in two days. Cummings - the most powerful unelected adviser of the modern era - had been forced out of No 10 in November 2020 by an internal No 10 faction, again showing that even the strongest inner circle cannot survive a Cabinet revolt.
Your task: rebut, then end with an interim judgement
Hint: Now write the second half. Argue Johnson governed through Cummings for two and a half years before the July 2022 collapse. Use the February 2020 Cummings / Javid episode and the timing of the 2022 resignations. Lead to an interim judgement that supports the line of argument.
Paragraph 3May Chequers
First half (against the LoA - already written)
Theresa May's premiership is often used to show how powerful Cabinet can be. Her Chequers Brexit plan in July 2018 led to the resignations of David Davis and Boris Johnson within twenty-four hours of each other. Cabinet ministers leaked, briefed against her, and forced concession after concession. May could not deliver her own deal because her Cabinet would not let her. The image is of a PM who had a strong No 10 operation but was repeatedly outvoted in her own Cabinet room.
Your task: rebut, then end with an interim judgement
Hint: Now write the second half. Argue May is the anomaly that confirms the rule: minority government, Brexit fracture, no electoral mandate. Use the 2017 Timothy / Hill manifesto and the dementia-tax episode as the inner-circle move that pre-dated the Cabinet leverage. Lead to an interim judgement that supports the line of argument.
Paragraph 4Big Beasts in Cabinet
First half (against the LoA - already written)
A further argument is that modern Cabinets contain ministers with their own political weight who constrain the PM regardless of what advisers say. Suella Braverman as Home Secretary in 2023 wrote a public letter accusing Sunak of breaking Rwanda promises and forced a hardening of policy after she was sacked. Rachel Reeves, Wes Streeting and Yvette Cooper enter Starmer's Cabinet with national profiles, leadership ambitions and constituencies of their own inside the parliamentary party. A PM's adviser cannot dismiss them as easily as Cummings dismissed Javid.
Your task: rebut, then end with an interim judgement
Hint: Now write the second half. Argue Big Beasts who break with the PM tend to lose - Cabinet weight is dependent, not independent. Use Braverman over the Rwanda letter and the Truss Cabinet ministers who survived Hunt's reversal. Lead to an interim judgement that supports the line of argument.
Paragraph 5Starmer welfare retreat
First half (against the LoA - already written)
In spring 2025 Keir Starmer's government retreated on the deepest version of welfare cuts after pushback from Cabinet ministers including Liz Kendall and Bridget Phillipson, alongside a backbench rebellion. The episode is presented as proof that Cabinet collective decision-making still constrains a PM, even one with a 174-seat majority. The McSweeney operation in No 10 had wanted a harder package; Cabinet pulled it back.
Your task: rebut, then end with an interim judgement
Hint: Now write the second half - this is your conclusion-grade paragraph. Argue that even when Cabinet "wins" a retreat, the inner circle has already framed the choices. Use the original 2025 welfare package and the McSweeney operation. Tie this back to the source view that PMs rely more on advisers than Cabinet. Lead to an L5 interim judgement that supports the line of argument.