Government of the United
Kingdom
February 4, 2015
What is the difference between
The United Kingdom, Great
Britain and England?
•The United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland
includes the four territories:
England, Wales, Scotland, and
Northern Ireland.
•Great Britain includes the major
island of and has three regions:
England, Wales, and Scotland.
•England is a region of Great
Britain and The UK. It has the
largest population with five
sixths of the entire state.
The Official name of the state is “The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”
Common Government Terms
• The Crown – all encompassing term including
the all the powers of government (king and
queen, Parliament, cabinet, and civil servants)
• Westminister – district of London where many
government buildings are located
• # 10 Downing St. – prime minister’s residence
and address
• Whitehall – street where many executive offices
are located along with the House of Commons
and House of Lords
Westminister Hall
The UK a Democratic Regime
( remember there are two main democratic regimes parliamentary and presidential)
Parliamentary System Presidential System
• Legislative and Executive • Legislative and Executive
Branch are not separate are separate branches of
• Head of state (monarch) government
and Head of Government • Head of State and Head
(Prime Minister) are held of Government are
by two separate positions of one person
individuals the President
• Write two more
differences between this
democratic regimes.
• Which do you prefer?
Why?
PS: There is a hybrid system called the Semi-Presidential System. These governments
Have a combination of both systems. Examples of Semi Presidential Systems exist in
France and Russia.
Leadership of the UK of Great
Britain and Northern Irealnd
• The Monarch • The Prime Minister (PM)
• Head state • Picks the Cabinet
• “Psychological cement to • Well disciplined Party
hold a country together” Whip
• No real political power • Head of Government
• “Reigns but does not rule” • Winning elections
• Campaigning through
media
• Patronage
• Making and balancing
policies
Head of State: Queen Elizabeth II Head of Government: David Cameron
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Branches of Government in the UK
• Executive = Prime Minister and Cabinet
• Legislative = House of Commons and
House of Lords
• Judicial = Courts
Executive Branch
Prime Minister Cabinet
• Head of Government • Has about twenty members
• Head of the majority party in HOC • Can be from HOC or HOL, though
• Usually get their way and are most are from HOC
thought to be powerful because of • Appointed by the Prime Minister
strong party loyalty • Responsible for individual
• 2011 Fixed-term Parliaments Act, government departments
elections had to be held every five • Provide answers to Parliament
years but the Prime Minister had during the question time.
discretion to call one at any time • Collective Responsibility – idea
before that deadline.
that cabinet must appear unified
• Must maintain the support of party and take responsibility for policy
• Take questions once weekly that • If Cabinet official can not support
are televised a decision of government they
• Direct activity of the cabinet must resign and return to
• Diplomats and world leaders legislature (3 of Blair’s ministers
resigned over the war in Iraq)
Why Do PMs Not turn into
Dictators?
• Elections are every five years (try to keep
blocks of support among population)
• Has to keep the support of the party in
order for party to stay in power in
Parliament
British Cabinet
• Lord Chancellor (member of House of Lords)
• Foreign Secretary – conducts foreign policy
• Home Secretary – oversees the Judiciary
• Chancellor of Exchequer (treasury) – financial policy and head of the
central bank
• Environment
• Education
• Transport
• Social Security
• Agriculture
• Employment
• Northern Ireland
• Welsh
• Scottish
• National Heritage
What is the Parliament?
• It is not George Clinton’s Band (P-Funk).
The UK legislates on 3 person
babies
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ivf-3-person-babies/index.html
What is the Parliament?
It is not George Clinton’s Band (P-Funk).
It is the legislative branch of the English
government that selects the Prime Minister
(PM) and the Cabinet. Both the PM and
Cabinet officials are also members of
Parliament (MPs)
It is a bicameral legislature which consists of
the House of Commons and House of Lords
MOVIE
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How are MPs chosen?
• In the House of Commons there is an election every five years for
Parliament or it can be dissolved before.
• MPs represent a single district called a constituency
• MPs are elected in first past the post system – or single member
plurality districts. MPs win on plurality, who has the most votes not
necessarily the majority. (Remember the term first past the post )
• This supports a strong two-party political system in the UK (Labour
and Conservative) like in the US. (Remember Duverger’s Law pg.
85 textbook)
• MPs are not required to live in the district they represent and many
make their homes in London
• MPs in the House of Lords are inherited positions (heredity peers
like dukes, earls, barons, ect.) these positions were eliminated in
1999 and life peers who are appointed by the Crown once
recommended by PM generally outstanding citizens, law lords, and
top officials from The Church of England. MPs in the HOL are
shielded from public scrutiny in terms of legislation. Similar to U.S.
Supreme Court Justices.
Parliament (House of
Commons)
House of Commons House of Lords
Functions of House of
Commons
MPs (Members of Parliament) are expected to :
Support their party
Assess the political reputations of other MPs to be
cabinet ministers
Share the problems they see with policy of ministers
outside of chambers (must look like you are a party
loyalist at all times)
Talk about legislation, but do not write legislation.
(Legislation is written by cabinet ministers)
Vote on legislation proposed by the government
Have oversight in seeing how policy is carried out
Publicize government policy to the general public
Can check the PM with a vote-of-no-confidence
MPs vote with their party 90% of the time
Inside the House of Commons
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Red = Majority Party
Blue = Minor Party
Other Colors = Small Minor Parties
Work in the Parliament
Parliament (House of Lords)
Functions of House of Lords
• Made up of inherited seats and Church of
England bishops and law lords
• Limited power
• Amend legislation from Commons. But the MPs
in the House of Commons can easily delete
amendments with simple majority
• Delay legislation (financial bills 30 days and
other 2 years)
• Debate topics that are to controversial for
elected MPs
Inside the House of Lords
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Judicial Branch
• No judicial review
• Parliament is always supreme and any
measure created by legislature is
constitutional
• Judges on Court are selected by the Lord
Chancellor and serve until retirement
• Civil and criminal courts and court of
appeals
• In 2009 the Supreme Court was created in
the UK to be the last court of appeals.
