Statecraft: Policies and Politics under Prime Minister Theresa May (Palgrave Studies in Political Leadership)

This book examines the statecraft of former UK Prime Minister, Theresa May as a means of deconstructing her leadership of the United Kingdom. Alongside the inescapable issue of Brexit that dominated her Premiership, it takes a wider view of her record in government by looking at how and why she stood for the leadership of the Conservative Party; scrutinizes her approach to economic, social, and foreign policy; interrogates her attitudes towards Northern Ireland and the DUP; and her longstanding records on race relations, LGBT+ issues, and feminism, as well as more traditional concerns such as faith, constitution, and Britishness. This volume is the first of its kind to adopt such a systematic approach in its evaluation of May’s leadership. Acknowledgements 7 Praise for Statecraft 9 Contents 11 Notes on Contributors 14 List of Figures 19 List of Tables 21 1 Introduction: The May Premiership 22 Critical Evaluation of Leadership and the Conservative Party 22 Conservative Leadership and Statecraft 24 Structure of the Volume 27 References 29 Part I Electoral Issues 31 2 The Conservative Party Leadership Election of 2016 32 Introduction 32 Explaining the Election Process: Rules, Candidates and Ballots 35 Explaining the Election Outcome: Acceptability, Electability and Competence 41 Conclusion 45 References 47 3 ‘I’m not Going to Call a Snap Election’—Theresa May and the 2017 General Election 52 Introduction 52 Why Did Theresa May Call for the 2017 General Election? 53 Making the Mistake 55 The Conservative Party Campaign 57 A Question of Rhetorical Character 60 Leadership and Responding to Terrorism 62 Conclusion—Was the Election a Failure of Statecraft? 63 References 66 4 Attempting to Secure a Sympathetic Press: May and the Media 68 Introduction 68 May as a Rhetorical Performer 72 May at the Podium 72 May in the Commons 75 May the Media Performer 77 Conclusion 80 References 81 Part II Policy Implementation 86 5 Miscalculations and Constraints: Brexit and the Failed Statecraft of Theresa May 87 Introduction 87 Brexit: An Overview 88 Conceptualising Statecraft 90 Nascent Constraints: Populist Rhetoric and Premature Promises 92 The Binding Force of Rhetoric 93 Concrete Commitments 94 The 2017 General Election and the DUP 96 Unexpected Election, Unexpected Outcome 97 The DUP: A Constraint on Departure 97 Irish Border: Underestimation and Consequence 99 The Lady ‘Was’ for Turning 102 From U-Turn to Losing Control 103 Conclusion 105 Bibliography 106 6 Foreign Policy Under Theresa May 111 Introduction 111 Little Britain or Global Britain? 112 Scrambling for Trade 116 Britain as a ‘Soft Power Superpower’? 120 The Fragility of New and Old Special Relationships 123 A Failure of Statecraft? 126 Conclusion 127 Bibliography 128 7 ‘An Economy That Works for Everyone’? An Evaluation of the May Government’s Economic Policies and Statecraft 135 Introduction: Statecraft and Economic Policy 135 The Economic Policy Statecraft of Theresa May: The Great Reset That Never Came 138 The Political Economy of Theresa May 142 Theresa May’s Modern Industrial Strategy 145 How Did the UK Economy Perform Under Theresa May? 147 Conclusion: A Strategic Failure to Reset Economic Policy 149 Bibliography 150 8 Theresa May and Mental Health Policy: A Legacy Unfinished? 155 Introduction to Conservative Mental Health Policy 155 Institutionalisation, Lord Shaftesbury and Mental Health 155 De-Institutionalisation: Enoch Powell and the Thatcher Administration 156 A Holistic Agenda 158 Theresa May: A Modern Mental Health Revolution? 159 Theresa May as Home Secretary (2010–2016)—Policing the Mental Health Crisis 160 Theresa May at No.10: Mental Health on the National Agenda 165 Mental Health Saliency Within Conservative Party Agendas 166 May’s Mental Health Pledges and Their Success 167 Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) 169 Investment and Waiting Times in Mental Health Services 169 The Reform of the Mental Health Act (1983) 172 Conclusion 174 Bibliography 175 9 Theresa May, Statecraft and the Environment 178 International Summits from the EU to the UN 181 Argument Hegemony and Electoral Strategy 183 Governing and Managing the Conservatives and the DUP 188 Conclusion 190 References 191 10 Friends and Allies? Theresa May and the DUP 195 Introduction 195 Statecraft and the DUP 197 The Brexit Referendum and the General Election of 2017 199 Negotiations and (Dis)Agreements 202 The Third Wheel: Theresa May, the DUP and the European Research Group 204 A Failure of Statecraft? 206 Conclusion 208 Bibliography 210 11 Theresa May and Race Relations Policy 214 Introduction 214 Statecraft, May and Immigration 216 Conservative Party Policy Heritage on Immigration 218 Theresa May as Home Secretary 220 Hostile Environment 220 Theresa May as PM 222 Windrush 224 Grenfell Towers 227 Conclusion 228 Bibliography 229 Part III Political Debates 232 12 Theresa May’s Mode of Conservatism; ‘Soft’ One Nation Toryism 233 Introduction 233 Theresa May’s ‘Soft’ One Nation Philosophy 235 Mayonomics: Acknowledging ‘Market Failure’ and Promoting an Active State 239 Theresa May’s ‘Soft’ One Nation Social Policy Agenda 241 Theresa May’s Pursuit of ‘Soft’ One Nation Conservatism in a Cold Climate 243 Theresa May’s Mode of One Nation Conservatism as a Form of ‘Statecraft’ 245 Bibliography 249 13 From Workers on Company Boards to Representatives of ‘Workers Voices’: Explaining May’s Failed ‘One Nation’ Industrial Policy 253 Introduction 253 One Nation Statecraft 254 May’s One Nation Agenda 257 The Politics of May’s Industrial Strategy 262 Explaining May’s Failed One Nation Statecraft 268 References 271 14 Theresa May as a Political Leader 276 Introduction 276 Party Leadership 281 Ideology and Aims 283 Political Style and Skills 286 May, Thatcher and Gender in Political Leadership 290 Context 293 Conclusion 297 References 298 15 Women Political Leaders Are All Feminists, Aren’t They? Theresa May and Feminism 302 Introduction 302 Unequal Reporting on Women Leaders 303 From MP to Home Secretary 305 May’s Premiership 309 May’s Legacy 311 Conservative Feminism? 313 Conclusion 316 References 317 16 Theresa May and LGBT Equality 322 Introduction 322 Opposition (1997–2010) 326 Home Secretary (2010–2016) 331 Prime Minister (2016–2019) 334 Conclusion: A Legacy Unravelled 338 Bibliography 340 17 Theresa May and Religion: The Vicar’s Daughter in Downing Street 341 Introduction 341 Personal Faith and Public Duty 343 Religion and Statecraft 347 May in Office and the 2017 General Election 350 Conclusion 354 References 355 18 Theresa May and the Constitution: A Failure of Statecraft 358 Constitutional Principles 359 Constitutional Clashes 360 Brexit 361 The Union 366 Foreign Policy 369 Conclusion 371 Bibliography 372 19 Theresa May and Britishness: Towards a Psychological Dimension of Statecraft 374 Introduction 374 Britishness and the Psychology of National Identity 375 Cognitive Dissonance 377 The Psychology of Discomfort 379 Preference Shifting 382 Towards a Meta-Dimension of Statecraft 384 Epideictic and May’s First Speech as Leader 386 Conclusion: The Inevitable Downfall 388 Bibliography 390 20 Theresa May’s Team: Statecraft and the Cabinet 393 Mayism 394 The First May Ministry (13 July 2016—11 June 2017) 397 The Second May Ministry (11 June 2017—24 July 2019) 399 First Reshuffle 400 First Cabinet Resignations 401 Second Reshuffle 403 Second Cabinet Resignations 404 Third Cabinet Resignations 406 May 2019 407 Loyalist Resignations 408 May and Statecraft 409 Appropriate Ministers to Deliver Mayism 409 Party Management 411 Leadership Authority 412 Conclusion 413 References 414 21 Conclusion: Statecraft, Policies, and Politics of Prime Minister Theresa May 417 Bibliography 420 Index 421