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The government 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 The Prime Minister The Prime Minister is the leader of the political party in power. He or she appoints the members of the cabinet (see below) and has control over many important public appointments. The official home of the Prime Minister is 10 Downing Street, in central London, near the Houses of Parliament. He or she also has a country house outside London called Chequers. The Prime Minister can be changed if the MPs in the governing party decide to do so, or if he or she wishes to resign. The Prime Minister usually resigns if his or her party loses a General Election. The cabinet The Prime Minister appoints about 20 senior MPs to become ministers in charge of departments. These include:
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Chancellor of the Exchequer - responsible for the economy Home Secretary - responsible for crime, policing and immigration Foreign Secretary - responsible for managing relationships with foreign countries other ministers (called 'Secretaries of State') - responsible for subjects such as education, health and defence These ministers form the cabinet, a committee which usually meets weekly and makes important decisions about government policy. Many of these decisions have to be debated or approved by Parliament. Each department also has a number of other ministers, called Ministers of State and Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State, who take charge of particular areas of the department's work.
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The opposition The second-largest party in the House of Commons is called the opposition. The leader of the opposition usually becomes Prime Minister if his or her party wins the next General Election. The leader of the opposition leads his or her party in pointing out what they see as the government's failures and weaknesses. One important opportunity to do this is at Prime Minister's Questions, which takes place every week while Parliament is sitting. The leader of the opposition also appoints senior opposition MPs to be 'shadow ministers'. They form the shadow cabinet and their role is to challenge the government and put forward alternative policies.
This text is taken from Life in the United Kingdom, a Guide for New Residents, 3rd edition Page 127 Crown Copyright 2013
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