Overview

The UK has a long history of government and monarchy, which has developed over hundreds of years. The twentieth century saw the decline of the monarchy and the concentration of power in the elected government. The monarchy still survives in the UK, although largely in a symbolic manner.

The Monarchy

The Monarchy is the oldest form of government in the United Kingdom. In a monarchy a king or queen is Head of State. The British monarchy is known as a constitutional monarchy. This means that while the Queen is Head of State, the ability to make and pass legislation resides with an elected Parliament. Although the British Sovereign no longer has a political or executive role, he or she continues to play an important part in the life of the nation.

The present monarch is Queen Elizabeth II who has reigned since 6th February 1952. The Queen, the current heir apparent (Elizabeth's eldest son, Charles, Prince of Wales), Prince Philip (Duke of Edinburgh), and the remainder of the Royal Family, undertake various public duties in accordance with their positions. Today, the monarch's role is constitutional, and limited to non-partisan functions such as bestowing honours.

Government and Politics in the UK

The Politics of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland takes place in the framework of a constitutional monarchy, in which the Monarch is head of state and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government. Elected governments are responsible for creating new laws of the land.

The UK is a parliamentary democracy .The main function of parliament is to pass laws and raise finance through taxation. The UK parliament in Westminster has two parts:

The House of Commons

The House of Commons consists of 646 elected Members of Parliament (MP’s). Of the 646 seats, 529 represent constituencies in England, 40 in Wales, 59 in Scotland, and 18 in Northern Ireland. Parliament constitutes a group of representatives elected by the people of voting age (18 years old or older) in the UK.

Each member has a seat in the house and represents a different district of the UK. They hold their seat until Parliament is dissolved (a maximum of five years between elections). The chief officer of the House of Commons is the Speaker, elected by MPs to preside over the House. Other officers include the Chairman of Ways and Means and two deputy Chairmen, who may all act as Deputy Speakers. They are elected by the House as nominees of the Government, but may come from the Opposition as well as the government party. The House of Commons Commission, a statutory body chaired by the Speaker, is responsible for the administration of the House.

House of Lords

The House of Lords is the second house of the parliament .It works with the House of Commons to make laws, scrutinise the actions of the Government and provide a forum of independent expertise. The House of Lords has 745 members, a somewhat higher membership than the 646 seat House of Commons. Before 1997, most members of the House of Lords inherited their ‘seats’ (membership) from their fathers instead of being elected. This system was abolished in 1999, and reform of the House of Lords is still continuing. Currently, members are not elected and most are appointed by the government. The House of Lords debates new laws created by the House of Commons, and sometimes introduces laws itself.

The House of Lords chamber spends about 60% of its time on legislation; the other 40% is spent on scrutiny - questioning government and debating issues and policy. Committee work takes place outside the Chamber.

Each sitting day the Members of the Lords start by questioning Government Ministers in the Chamber to find out what they are doing, or propose to do, on any subject. After these ‘Oral Questions’, Lords may then examine and improve draft legislation. This may have begun in the House of Commons or the House of Lords. Members may also debate important topics to highlight what the House of Lords thinks on an issue, signalling their views to the country and the Government.

Parties

The UK has a multi-party system and since the 1920s, the two largest political parties have been the Conservative Party and the Labour Party. The third largest party in UK at present are the Liberal Democrats securing normally between 10-20% of the national vote. The party system is based on political groups with their own policies, which compete for the support of the public to win power. The electoral system is a "first past the post" system with the party with the largest majority being invited by the Queen to form a government. This varies greatly from "Proportional Representation" or PR electoral system of many other European countries and is more closely identified with the American electoral system. In Parliament, the two parties with the most Members of Parliament (MPs) form the government and the opposition.