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From Brexit to COVID-19: the Johnson government, executive centralisation and authoritarian populism

From Brexit to COVID-19: the Johnson government, executive centralisation and authoritarian populism
From Brexit to COVID-19: the Johnson government, executive centralisation and authoritarian populism

Many commentators have suggested that the first 18 months of the Johnson government were characterised by a propensity to centralise power. However, few accounts have situated the administration in the historical context of the British state or systematically examined these centralising tendencies. This article attempts to address these omissions. First, through a critical assessment of the literature on authoritarian neoliberalism, the concept of ‘executive centralisation’ is developed within the context of the British state. Second, the article applies this revised framework to the early stages of the Johnson government. While a dominant executive is a long-standing feature of the British political system, it is argued that Johnson has pursued a multifaceted centralisation strategy facilitated by the context of Brexit and COVID-19. In identifying the role of consent in this process, the article augments scholarship on ‘authoritarian neoliberalism’ as a moment in neoliberal governance characterised by the ascendance of coercive governing strategies.
0032-3217
Ward, Joseph
72ca2cbb-e194-49d5-ba3e-8b0c6616f566
Ward, Bradley
335d276e-caaf-4f83-9191-d031f5bb759b
Ward, Joseph
72ca2cbb-e194-49d5-ba3e-8b0c6616f566
Ward, Bradley
335d276e-caaf-4f83-9191-d031f5bb759b

Ward, Joseph and Ward, Bradley (2021) From Brexit to COVID-19: the Johnson government, executive centralisation and authoritarian populism. Political Studies. (doi:10.1177/00323217211063730).

Record type: Article

Abstract


Many commentators have suggested that the first 18 months of the Johnson government were characterised by a propensity to centralise power. However, few accounts have situated the administration in the historical context of the British state or systematically examined these centralising tendencies. This article attempts to address these omissions. First, through a critical assessment of the literature on authoritarian neoliberalism, the concept of ‘executive centralisation’ is developed within the context of the British state. Second, the article applies this revised framework to the early stages of the Johnson government. While a dominant executive is a long-standing feature of the British political system, it is argued that Johnson has pursued a multifaceted centralisation strategy facilitated by the context of Brexit and COVID-19. In identifying the role of consent in this process, the article augments scholarship on ‘authoritarian neoliberalism’ as a moment in neoliberal governance characterised by the ascendance of coercive governing strategies.

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e-pub ahead of print date: 28 December 2021

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 481906
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/481906
ISSN: 0032-3217
PURE UUID: eebd72d6-a773-4593-bc39-3c3cc0b25c4f
ORCID for Bradley Ward: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-0123-5023

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Date deposited: 12 Sep 2023 17:02
Last modified: 26 Jul 2024 02:11

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Author: Joseph Ward
Author: Bradley Ward ORCID iD

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