The Political System of the UK

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a constitutional monarchy. It means that the sovereign reigns but does not rule. Britain does not have a written constitution, but a set of laws.

The Queen is officially head of all the branches of government, but she has little direct power in the country.

The constitution has three branches: Parliament, which makes laws, the government, which "executes" laws (puts them into effect) and the courts, which interpret laws.

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. (MP)

The members of the House of Lords are not elected: they qualify to sit in the House because they are bishops of the Church of England, aristocrats who have inherited their seats from their fathers, people with titles. About 70 per cent of them are "hereditary peers" because their fathers were peers before them. The 30 per cent are officially appointed by the Queen, on the advice of the Government, for various services for people.The country is divided into 650 constituencies each of which elects one Member of Parliament. The Commons, therefore, has 650 Members of Parliament. The party which wins the most seats forms the Government and its leader becomes the Prime Minister.

 As leaders of their political parties and leaders of the country, Prime Ministers are powerful because they have the majority support in Parliament and they can choose their own ministers and government.
The PM, chooses a committee of ministers called the Cabinet.

The Prime Minister is advised by a Cabinet of about twenty other ministers.  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.