The Prime Minister

As head of the UK government, the Prime Minister oversees the operation of the Civil Service and government agencies, appoints members of the Cabinet, and is the principal government figure in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister is also, by tradition, the First Lord of the Treasury – and draws his or her salary in that role, rather than as Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister's unique position of authority comes from majority support in the House of Commons and the power to appoint and dismiss ministers. By modern convention, the Prime Minister always sits in the Commons.

The Prime Minister presides over the Cabinet, is responsible for allocating functions among ministers and, at regular meetings with the Queen, informs her of the general business of the government.

The Prime Minister's other responsibilities include recommending a number of appointments to the Queen. These include high-ranking members of the Church of England, senior judges and certain civil appointments. He also recommends appointments to several public boards and institutions, as well as to various royal and statutory commissions.

The Prime Minister's Office supports him in his role as head of government. This includes providing policy advice, tracking the delivery of government commitments and initiatives, and ensuring effective communications to Parliament, the media and the public.

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The Cabinet

The Cabinet is the committee at the centre of the British political system and the supreme decision-making body in government.

The British Prime Minister has traditionally been referred to as ‘primus inter pares’, which means ‘first among equals’ and demonstrates that he or she is a member of the collective decision-making body of the Cabinet, rather than an individual who has powers in their own right. The Prime Minister is first among equals simply in recognition of the responsibility held for appointing and dismissing all the other Cabinet members.

Cabinet ministers are the highest-ranking ministers in the government, and most government departments have one Cabinet minister (or more). Most Cabinet ministers are titled ‘Secretary of State’ – although some have traditional titles, such as the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Chief Whip.

14Britain as Roman Province.

Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.^[1]

The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia (Scotland). Before the Roman invasion, begun in AD 43, Iron Age Britain already had established cultural and economic links with Continental Europe, but the Roman invaders introduced new developments in agriculture, urbanisation, industry and architecture. Besides the native British record of the initial Roman invasion, Roman historians generally mention Britannia only in passing, thus, most knowledge of Roman Britain has derived from archaeological investigations, and the epigraphic evidence lauding the Britannic achievements of an Emperor of Rome, such as Hadrian (r. AD 117–38) and Antoninus Pius (r. AD 138–61), whose walls demarcated the northern borders of Roman Britain.^[2]

The first extensive Roman campaigns in Britain were by the armies of Julius Caesar in 55 and in 54 BC,^[3][4] but the first significant campaign of conquest did not begin until AD 43, in the reign of the Emperor Claudius.^[5] Following the conquest of the native Britons, a distinctive Romano-British culture emerged under provincial government, which, despite steadily extended territorial control northwards, was never able to exert definite control over Caledonia. The Romans demarcated the northern border of Britannia with Hadrian's Wall, completed around the year 128.^[6] Fourteen years later, in AD 142, the Romans extended the Britannic frontier northwards, to theForth-Clyde line, where they constructed the Antonine Wall,^[7] but, after approximately twenty years, they then retreated to the border of Hadrian's Wall.^[8] Around the year 197, Rome divided Britannia into two provinces, Britannia Superior and Britannia Inferior;^[9] sometime after AD 305, Britannia was further divided, and made into an imperial diocese.^[10] For much of the later period of the Roman occupation, Britannia was subject to barbarian invasions and often came under the control of imperialusurpers and pretenders to the Roman Emperorship.

Most Romans departed from Britain around the year 410, which began the sub-Roman period (AD 5–6 c.), but the legacy of the Roman Empire was felt for centuries in Britain.

Roman invasion

Roman rule is established

Occupation and retreat from southern Scotland

End of Roman rule

Sub-Roman Britain

15The legal profession in GB.

Solicitors

Solicitors undertake most of the work in magistrates’ courts and county courts - both preparation of cases and also advocacy. But litigation is only a small part of the work of the solicitor’s profession as a whole. Most are involved in commercial work relating to business eg dealing with commercial transactions, corporate matters, land, share and other property dealings. There is also a large amount of private client work which does not involve any litigation (if all goes to plan!) such as the conveyancing of houses, making wills, advising on tax matters and so on.

Most solicitors are graduates with a law degree. They must also undertake professional training both by a one year Legal Practice Course and then by two years under a training contract with a solicitor in practice. See generally Details of the UK solicitors' profession pages.