The System of Government

The UK (United Kingdom) is a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy. This means that it has a monarch (a king or a queen) as its Head of State. In theory, the constitution has three branches: Parliament, which makes laws, the government, which “executes” laws, i.e. puts them into effect, and the law courts, which interpret laws. As a result of a historical process the people in Britain accept the Queen as the head of the State. Although

The reigning monarch is not only the head of the state but also the symbol of the unity of the nation. In law the monarch is the head of the executive and the judicial branches, the head of the Church of England and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The Queen is regularly visited by her prime Minister to receive an account of Cabinet decisions and to be consulted on matters of national life. The Queen is very rich as are other members of the royal family. In addition, the government pays for her expenses as the Head of the State.

Parliament is a supreme legislative body. Parliament has two parts: the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Members of the House of Commons are elected by the voters of 650 constituencies. They are known as Members of Parliament (MPs). Parliamentary elections are held every five years on the basis of the universal suffrage and secret ballot. The House of Commons plays a major role in lawmaking. The House of Lords are non-elected chamber which now consists of about 500 members. The House of Lords is the upper house of the British Parliament but the less powerful part of it. The House of Lords consists of the Lords Temporal, the Lords Spiritual and Law Lords. Lords Spiritual are the Archbishops of York and Canterbury, together with twenty-four senior bishops of Church of England. The Law Lords serve the House of Lords as the ultimate court of appeal. The main function of Parliament is to make laws regulating the life of the community and relating to any aspect of the political, economic, legal, social, and cultural life of the UK as a whole, or to any of its constituent part.

The British Parliamentary system depends on political parties. The Prime Minister, or leader of the Government, is also an Member of Parliament, usually the leader of the political party with a majority in the House of Commons. The second largest party becomes to the official Opposition with its own leader and “Shadow” Cabinet.

So, executive power in the UK belongs to the Government which consists of the Cabinet and other ministers. The Government includes about a hundred politicians under the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister chooses about twenty MP’s from his/her party to become a Cabinet. The Cabinet includes the ministers in charge of major government departments or ministries. Departments and ministries are run by civil servants, who are permanent officials. Even if the Government changes after an election, the same civil servants are employed. The Cabinet deals with the main lines of policy, exercises and coordinates the work and policies of various ministers. The meetings of the Cabinet are usually held at № 10 Downing Street, the residence of the Prime Minister.