Politics of the United Kingdom

The politics of the United Kingdom are based upon a unitary state and a constitutional monarchy. Its system of government (often known as the Westminster system) has been adopted by other countries, such as Canada, India, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Jamaica.

Parliament

Main article: Parliament of the United Kingdom

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Parliament is the centre of the political system in the United Kingdom. It is the supreme legislative body (parliamentary sovereignty), and Government is drawn from and answerable to it. Parliament is bicameral, consisting of the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

Related Topics:
Parliamentary sovereignty - Bicameral - House of Commons - House of Lords

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House of Commons

Main article: British House of Commons

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The UK is divided into parliamentary constituencies of broadly equal population (decided by the Boundary Commission), each of which elects a Member of Parliament to the House of Commons. There is only one independent MP currently in the House of Commons, and two MPs from minor parties. There almost always is a party with an outright majority of MPs in the House. In modern times, all Prime Ministers and Leaders of the Opposition have been drawn from the Commons, not the Lords. Alec Douglas-Home resigned from his peerages days after becoming Prime Minister in 1963, and the last Prime Minister before him from the Lords left in 1902 (the Marquess of Salisbury).

Related Topics:
Constituencies - Boundary Commission - Member of Parliament - Leaders of the Opposition - Alec Douglas-Home - 1963 - 1902 - Marquess of Salisbury

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One party usually has a majority in Parliament, because of the use of the First Past the Post electoral system, which has been conducive in creating the two party system that exists in electoral politics, at least in general election to this day. The monarch normally asks a person commissioned to form a government simply whether it can survive in the House of Commons, something which minority governments can do. In exceptional circumstances the monarch asks someone to 'form a government' with a parliamentary majority,1 in the event of no party having a majority, that requires the formation of a coalition government. This option is only ever taken at a time of national emergency, such as war-time. It was given in 1916 to Andrew Bonar Law, and when he declined, to David Lloyd George. It is worth noting that a government is not formed by a vote of the House of Commons, merely a commission from the monarch. The House of Commons gets its first chance to indicate confidence in the new government when it votes on the Speech from the Throne, ie, the legislative programme proposed by the new government.

Related Topics:
First Past the Post electoral system - Two party system - Coalition government - Andrew Bonar Law - David Lloyd George - Speech from the Throne

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The House of Lords

Main article: House of Lords

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The House of Lords was previously a hereditary, aristocratic chamber. Major reform has been partially completed and it is currently a mixture of hereditary members, bishops of the Church of England and appointed members (life peers, with no hereditary right for their descendants to sit in the House). It currently acts to review legislation formed by the House of Commons, with the power to propose amendments, and exercises a suspensive veto-it can delay legislation it doesn't approve of twelve months. However, the use of vetoes is limited by convention-the Lords may not veto the "money bills", or major manifesto promises (see Salisbury convention). Persistant use of the veto can be overturned by the Parliament Act by the Commons. Often governments will accept changes in legislation in order to avoid both the time delay, and the negative publicity of being seen to clash with the Lords.

Related Topics:
House of Lords - Church of England - Suspensive veto - Salisbury convention - Parliament Act

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The House of Lords is currently also the final court of appeal within the United Kingdom, although in practice only a small subset of the House of Lords, known as the Law Lords, hears judicial cases. However, the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 outlines plans for a Supreme Court of the United Kingdom to replace the role of the Law Lords.

Related Topics:
Law Lords - Constitutional Reform Act 2005 - Supreme Court of the United Kingdom

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