Parliament and Government in the UK
The monarch is the head of state and the Prime Minister - appointed by the monarch - is, in practice, the political leader of the United Kingdom and acts as the head of Her Majesty's Government.
Monarchy
The monarchy is the oldest institution in the UK system of government and can be traced back over 1000 years. You can find out more about its history and present day role on the British monarchy website and in our Monarchy section.
Parliament
Parliament plays a crucial role in UK politics. Its main roles are:
- examining and challenging the government's work
- debating and passing all laws
- allowing the government to raise taxes.
Find out more about Parliament's role on the UK Parliament website.
You might also be interested in the Hansard Society, which aims to strengthen parliamentary democracy and encourage greater public participation in politics.
Elections
General elections
General elections are usually held every 5 years in the UK, althougha Prime Minister can call one at any stage of his or her time in office.
During an election, the UK is divided into 646 constituencies, which each vote one Member of Parliament (MP) into the House of Commons. MPs are elected by a 'first past the post' system - meaning the candidate with most votes in each constituency is elected.
Other elections in the UK
Elections to the European Parliament, London Assembly and local authorities, as well as to the devolved Scottish Parliament and Welsh and Northern Ireland assemblies take place frequently in the UK.
Find out more about the Electoral Commission, which registers political parties and makes sure people understand and follow the rules on party and election finance.
Government
The party that wins the most seats at a general election forms the government, or the executive, which decides on and carries out policy for the next 5 years.
The British Government is headed by the Prime Minister - currently Gordon Brown - who lives and works at 10 Downing Street in London. It also includes senior ministers who run departments and make up the Cabinet, the body which collectively decides on government policy and other important issues which arise.
You can find a full list of government ministers, including those in the Cabinet, on the Number 10 website.
The Government's work is run by departments, which have responsibility for different areas - the Foreign & Commonwealth Office or the Department of Health, for example. You can see a full list of departments on the Number 10 website.
The senior ministers who run government departments are usually called secretaries of state. They are responsible to the Prime Minister for the department's work.
Junior ministers are responsible for particular aspects of a department's work and report to their own secretary of state.
Between them, the ministers and departments - which are staffed by permanent officials, known as civil servants - help develop and carry out government policy.
Making laws
Debating and passing laws is one of Parliament's most important roles. Find out about how new laws are created on the UK Parliament and No 10 Downing Street websites.
Despite devolution in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, all laws passed by the Westminster Parliament operate in these three countries to a greater or lesser extent.
But they can, within certain limits, introduce their own laws in their own parliament and assemblies.
Laws passed by the Westminster or Scottish Parliaments are the ultimate source of law, but there is also a duty to comply with European Community law. For more information, visit our Europe section.
You can also find out more about the UK legal system in our Law and order section.
Devolved and local government: Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all have different forms of devolved government.
Scotland
Scotland has a Parliament which can make laws on a whole range of matters, including health and education, and can raise or lower the rate of income tax by 3 pence in the pound. Some powers - such as foreign policy and defence - are controlled by the UK Parliament.
Find out about the powers of the Scottish Parliament on its website.
You might also be interested in How the Scottish Parliament works.
You can find out more about the Scottish Executive, which is responsible for a number of day-to-day issues such as health and education, on its website.
Wales
The National Assembly for Wales has 60 Assembly Members (AMs). Elections to the Assembly are held every 4 years. The website also contains information about the National Assembly for Wales' powers.
Find out more about the Welsh Assembly Government, which is responsible for day-to-day issues in Wales.
Northern Ireland
The Northern Ireland Assembly was created after the 1998 Belfast Agreement. There are 108 Members ofthe Legislative Assembly (MLAs) who have a similar range of legislative and executive powers as the Scottish Parliament.
The Northern Ireland Executive comprises First Minister, Deputy First Minister and 10 Ministers, allocated in proportion to the number of seats that parties won in theAssembly election. Members are elected by proportional representation.
Local government
Although the UK Government and Parliament and the devolved bodies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland develop and implement most government policy, the UK's different types of local authority carry many of them out.
Voting in most local elections - which are decided by 'first past the post' system or proportional representation - usually takes place every 3 or 4 years.
The Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish local authorities now deal mainly with their devolved Parliament and assemblies rather than the UK Government.
A unique 2-tier system exists in Greater London, with power shared between the London borough councils and the Greater London Authority and Assembly, which was established in 2000 and is headed by an elected mayor.
Find out more about the system in England and Wales on the Local Government Association and Local Government UK websites.
Local government in Scotland, which functions in a similar way to local authorities in England and Wales, is organised through 32 unitary authorities. The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities' website provides more information about the Scottish system.
The Northern Ireland Local Government Association's website provides more information about how local government works there.
European Union
Britain joined the European Union (EU) in 1973, along with Denmark and the Republic of Ireland, bringing the total number of member states at that time to 9. By 2007 there were 27 members, including many Eastern European countries such as Hungary and the Czech Republic.
For more information about the EU and its institutions and elections visit the Europe section.
Civil Service
Her Majesty's Civil Service is staffed by permanent officials who remain in their positions regardless of which political party is in power. Civil servants help the government develop and carry out their policies and run the country's public services.
For a bird's eye view of life inside the Civil Service visit the Insider's View website. You might also like to visit the Cabinet Office website for information about civil service reform.
