Raab resignation: what does a deputy prime minister do?

It is a loosely defined role but as Margaret Thatcher once said, every prime minister needs a Willie, writes Sean O’Grady?

Tony Blair and John Prescott had a decade-long double-act (Getty)

Following the resignation of Dominic Raab, the prime minister has appointed Oliver Dowden as his new deputy. Mr Dowden will retain his other roles as chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and cabinet secretary. The Sunak ally served as party chairman under Boris Johnson before resigning and helping bring about his downfall; now he is at the centre of political events at least until the next election. What is the job about, and what does history teach us about the people who filled it?

What does a deputy prime minister do?

The DPM does what the PM can’t do. It provides a designated person in cases where the prime minister is unable or unwilling to undertake certain tasks or if he wants to bring in particular skills or experience. Two examples would be Willie Whitelaw with Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s and Michael Heseltine for John Major in the mid-1990s. Both were given responsibility for large swathes of government policy, especially in home affairs, and provided additional political ballast for a leader who might otherwise be in trouble. As Thatcher once said of her de facto deputy, “every prime minister needs a Willie”.