British Political System

The British system

Britain is a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarch had real power but gradually, over the centuries, more and more of this power has been transferred to parliament. In 1649 King Charles I was executed and the country became a republic for 11 years. The monarchy was then restored but parliament had become the supreme authority. At first only comparatively rich people were represented in parliament but, during the 19th century, the right to vote was gradually extended to all men and then, in 1928, to women too. Britain does not have a written constitution. The division of power is based on laws and traditions which have developed over the centuries.

The Monarch

The Queen is the head of state and a symbol of national unity but she has no control over the policies of the government. She officially appoints the ministers of "Her Majesty's Government" but, in fact, they have been chosen by the Prime Minister.

Parliament

Parliament is responsible for making the laws of the country and for giving authority to the decisions of the government. A government cannot continue in power if parliament votes against it. The main institution of parliament is the House of Commons, which has 659 members. These MPs (Members of Parliament) are elected in the following way: Britain is divided into 659 constituencies, each with about 90,000 people. In each constituency the different political parties propose their candidates. The people vote and the candidate who wins most votes becomes the MP.

In the House of Commons the MPs discuss the problems of the country , criticize or support the actions of the government and decide on new laws. A proposal for new legislation (called a "bill") must be approved by a majority of MPs before it becomes a law.

There is also a second institution in parliament , the House of Lords, which has about 1,200 members. They are not elected by the people. Some of them are hereditary peers (members of old aristocratic families who inherit their titles); others are life peers (former politicians and other well-known people who are given a personal title by the government). Senior bishops of the Church of England and senior judges also sit in the House of Lords. The present government is planning to reform the House of Lords by removing the hereditary peers.

The House of Lords has little real power. Its main purpose is to reconsider bills which have been passed by the Commons. It can make amendments to bills but it cannot reject them.

The senior judges in the House of Lords, however, have an important function. They are the final court of appeal of the British judicial system.

The Prime Minister and the Government

The monarch appoints as Prime Minister the leader of the party with most MPs in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister then chooses other leading MPs from his/her party to become ministers in the government. Among the most important ministers are the Chancellor of the Exchequer (responsible for financial matters), the Home Secretary (responsible for internal security, police, prisons, immigration etc.) and the Foreign Secretary (responsible for foreign policy). The party with the second largest number of MPs is recognized as the official opposition.

The government remains in power as long as it has the support of a majority in the Commons. After 5 years there must be a new general election but the Prime Minister has the power to dissolve parliament and call a new election at any time during those 5 years. If no single party has a majority, a coalition of parties may form the government. This rarely happens in Britain because the voting system favours two-party politics.

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