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The UK system of government

The UK’s political system is based on: low of the land, court cases decisions, records of parliamentary debates, other sources. There are some contradictions: the UK is a constitutional monarchy without a constitution; it’s a parliamentary democracy but just one of the Parliament houses is democratically elected; there is separation between Church and State but the monarch is also the head of the Church.

UK is made up of 4 countries: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The British Parliament is made up of three institutions: Monarchy, the House of Commons, the House of Lords.

The British Monarchy

The British monarchy is hereditary. The present title to the crown derives from the Act of Settlement (1701). The Act of Settlement stated the succession to the throne of England to Hannover dynasty. The monarch is:

• Head of State,
• Head of the Judiciary,
• Commander-in-chief of the armed forces,
• Temporal Head of the Church of England.

Today the Queen reigns but she does not rule. Her function is to symbolize unity and continuity of the country. She has prerogative rights of legislative, executive and judicial character.

Legislature

The Parliament of Westminster is the Supreme Legislative body of the UK. Its head is the Monarch. Parliament:

• Makes all UK laws,
• Provides the means of carrying on the work of government,
• Protects the public and safeguards the rights of individuals,
• Scrutinizes government policy and administration,
• Examines European proposals,
• Hears the appeals in the House of Lords,
• Debates the major issues of the day.

Parliament lasts a maximum of 5 years. After this period, a general election is held for a new House of Commons. Parliament is bicameral and it is made up of:

• House of Lords (upper house),
• House of Commons (lower house),
• The Monarch.

The two houses meet in separate chambers in the Palace of Westminster. All ministers and the Prime Minister are members of the House of Commons. The House of Lords is mostly a hereditary body. It is presided over by the Lord Chancellor.

The House of Lords has 760 members divided into two types: Lords Spiritual and Lords Temporal. The members of the House of Commons are 650. Each member represents a district.

Executive

The cabinet consists of Secretaries of State. The Cabinet meetings are held weekly while Parliament is in session. The government of the UK contains a number of Ministries. Every Ministry is led by a