Parliament and the government
How the two Houses work, what the Prime Minister and the cabinet actually do, the role of the opposition and shadow cabinet, and the powers of the devolved bodies in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
The country is run by Parliament plus the government (the Prime Minister and the cabinet). Parliament makes laws and scrutinises the government; the government implements policy. Most test questions in this part of the chapter are about the separation of those two roles and the specific structures inside each.
The House of Commons
The House of Commons is the more important of the two chambers because its members are democratically elected. Things to know:
- The Prime Minister and almost all the cabinet are members of the Commons (MPs).
- Each MP represents a parliamentary constituency — a small area of the country.
- MPs represent everyone in their constituency, not just those who voted for them.
- They create new laws, scrutinise the government, and debate national issues.
The House of Lords
The Lords are not elected by the public and do not represent constituencies. The composition has changed over the last 50+ years:
- Until 1958, all peers were either hereditary (inherited the title), senior judges, or bishops of the Church of England.
- Since 1958 the Prime Minister has been able to nominate life peers — peers who hold the title only for their own lifetime, with no inheritance.
- Since 1999, hereditary peers have lost the automatic right to attend the Lords. They now elect a few of their number to represent them.
The Lords is more independent of the government than the Commons. It can:
- Suggest amendments to laws.
- Propose new laws.
- Check laws passed by the Commons to ensure they are fit for purpose.
- Hold the government to account.
The Commons has powers to overrule the Lords, but uses them sparingly.
The Speaker
Debates in the Commons are chaired by the Speaker — the chief officer of the House of Commons. Specifics:
- Politically neutral — the Speaker is still an MP and represents a constituency, but does not represent a party.
- Chosen by other MPs in a secret ballot.
- Keeps order during debates and ensures rules are followed.
- Guarantees the opposition time to debate the issues it chooses.
- Represents Parliament on ceremonial occasions.
The Prime Minister
- Leader of the party in power.
- Appoints the cabinet.
- Has control over many important public appointments.
- Official residence: 10 Downing Street, near the Houses of Parliament.
- Country residence: Chequers.
The PM can be replaced if the governing party’s MPs decide to do so, or if he or she chooses to resign. The PM usually resigns if the party loses a General Election.
The cabinet
The PM appoints about 20 senior MPs as ministers. Four ministers the handbook names by title:
| Minister | Responsible for |
|---|---|
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | The economy |
| Home Secretary | Crime, policing, immigration |
| Foreign Secretary | Relationships with foreign countries |
| Other Secretaries of State | Education, health, defence, etc. |
The cabinet is a committee that usually meets weekly and makes important decisions on government policy. Many of its decisions must be debated or approved by Parliament.
Each department also has more junior ministers — Ministers of State and Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State.
The opposition
The second-largest party in the Commons is the opposition. Its leader usually becomes Prime Minister if the party wins the next election.
The leader of the opposition appoints senior opposition MPs as shadow ministers, who form the shadow cabinet. Their job is to challenge the government and propose alternative policies.
The most-watched weekly event for this is Prime Minister’s Questions, every week while Parliament is sitting.
The party system
- Anyone aged 18 or over can stand as an MP, but is unlikely to win without a major-party nomination.
- The main UK-wide parties are: the Conservative Party, the Labour Party, and the Liberal Democrats.
- Plus parties representing Scottish, Welsh, or Northern Irish interests (the SNP, Plaid Cymru, the various NI parties).
- A small number of MPs who don’t represent any major party are called independents.
- Parties have branches in most constituencies and hold policy-making conferences every year.
Pressure and lobby groups
These are organisations that try to influence government policy. Two examples the handbook calls out:
- CBI (Confederation of British Industry) — represents British business.
- Campaigning groups: Greenpeace (environment), Liberty (human rights).
The civil service
Civil servants:
- Support the government — develop and implement policies, deliver public services.
- Are accountable to ministers, not directly to the public.
- Are chosen on merit.
- Are politically neutral — not political appointees.
- Apply through an application process like other UK jobs.
The four core civil service values are testable: integrity, honesty, objectivity, and impartiality (which includes political neutrality).
Local government
- Towns, cities, and rural areas are run by democratically elected councils (“local authorities”).
- Some areas have both district and county councils; most large towns have a single local authority.
- Funded partly by central government and partly by local taxes.
- Many councils appoint a mayor as ceremonial leader; some elect a mayor as effective leader.
- London has 33 local authorities, plus the Greater London Authority and the Mayor of London.
- Local elections are usually held in May every year.
Devolved administrations
Devolution began in 1997. The Welsh Assembly and the Scottish Parliament both first sat in 1999. Some powers were transferred from London to give people in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland more control over matters that directly affect them.
Reserved matters (decided in London, not by devolved bodies):
- Defence
- Foreign affairs
- Immigration
- Taxation
- Social security
Each devolved administration has its own civil service.
The Welsh government
- Based in Cardiff.
- The National Assembly for Wales has 60 Assembly members (AMs).
- Elections every four years, by proportional representation.
- Members can speak in Welsh or English; publications are in both languages.
- The Assembly can make laws for Wales in 20 areas, including education and training, health and social services, economic development, and housing.
- Since 2011, it has been able to pass laws in those areas without the agreement of the UK Parliament.
The Scottish Parliament
- Formed in 1999.
- Sits in Edinburgh (specifically at Holyrood).
- 129 members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs), elected by proportional representation.
- Can pass laws on anything not specifically reserved to the UK Parliament, including civil and criminal law, health, education, planning, and additional tax-raising powers.
The Northern Ireland Assembly
- Established after the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement of 1998.
- A power-sharing arrangement distributes ministerial offices among the main parties.
- 108 members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), elected by proportional representation.
- Can decide on education, agriculture, environment, health, and social services.
- The UK government has the power to suspend any devolved assembly. It has used this several times in Northern Ireland when local political leaders couldn’t work together. The Assembly has been running successfully since 2007.
The three devolved-body sizes: Wales 60 AMs, Scotland 129 MSPs, Northern Ireland 108 MLAs. All three use proportional representation. (Westminster, by contrast, uses first-past-the-post — see the next page.)
The media and government
- Proceedings in Parliament are broadcast on television and published in Hansard (the official report).
- The UK has a free press — what is written in newspapers is free from government control.
- By law, radio and television coverage of political parties must be balanced — equal time for rival viewpoints.
What to take from this section
- Commons elected; Lords not elected. Commons more important; Lords more independent.
- Life peers introduced in 1958. Hereditary peers lost automatic seats in 1999.
- Speaker chairs the Commons; politically neutral; chosen by secret ballot.
- PM at 10 Downing Street; cabinet ~20 ministers; Chancellor / Home / Foreign / Education / Health / Defence.
- Opposition + shadow cabinet challenge the government; PMQs weekly.
- Civil service: chosen on merit, politically neutral, four values.
- Devolved bodies — 60 / 129 / 108. PR not first-past-the-post. Reserved matters: defence, foreign, immigration, tax, social security.