British political System

The UK Political System

A brief introduction to

A constitutional monarchy

A parliamentary democracy

Click on the pictures to find out more.

The monarchy

The current monarch is Charles III who has reigned since his mother Elizabeth II died in 2022. Heis currently the head of the U.K and 14 other nations known as the commonwealth realms. the United Kingdom is a parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy. This means that while a monarch – in this case, King Charles III – is the head of state, He is not the head of government. He does not get to make most of the decisions about how the government is run. The British monarchy used to have absolute power– over 800 years ago. 2015 was the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta, or the Great Charter. This document spelled out the rights and responsibilities of King John of England and the ruling class in 1215. The Magna Carta is regarded as the first statement of citizen rights in the world. The Bill of Rights of 1689 – which is still in effect – lays down limits on the powers of the crown and sets out the rights of Parliament and rules for freedom of speech in Parliament, the requirement for regular elections to Parliament, and the right to petition the monarch without fear of retribution. Nowadays the King's role is mostly ceremonial.

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Parliament

The House of Lords

The House of Commons

Northern Ireland Assembly

Welsh Parliament

Scottish Paliament

The Scottish Parliament is the devolved (decentralised) national legislature of Scotland. It is in the capital city, Edinburgh. The Parliament is sometimes called "Holyrood". The original Parliament of Scotland merged with the Parliament of England to form the Parliament of Great Britain when the Kingdom of Scotland merged with the Kingdom of England under the Acts of Union 1707 to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. In 1997 there was a referendum where the Scottish people voted for Scotland to have a Parliament again. The current Parliament was established by the Scotland Act 1998. The first meeting was on 12 May 1999. The Parliament is a devolved assembly, which means that some powers have been kept by the UK Parliament. The issues which the Scottish Parliament can make laws about are called devolved matters. Some examples of devolved matters are health and social services, education and housing. There are 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) who are democratically elected. Members are elected for five-year terms. Most of the MSPs belong to political parties. Independent MSPs do not belong to a political party.

Scottish political parties

The Welsh Parliament (/ˈsɛnɛð ˈkəm.rɨ/) is a devolved parliament with the power to make laws in Wales. It is also called the Welsh Assembly or Senedd. Between 1999 and 2020, it had the name National Assembly for Wales. The Assembly was created after the Government of Wales Act 1998 law, which was introduced after a referendum in 1997. The Assembly had no powers to make primary legislation until the Government of Wales Act 2006 law, which gave the Assembly limited powers to make laws. Its powers were increased again after a Yes vote in a referendum on 3 March 2011, which allowed the Assembly to make laws without having to make a request to the Parliament of the UK, or to the Secretary of State for Wales. The Senedd comprises 60 members who are known as Members of the Senedd (MS). Since 2011, members are elected for a five-year term of office. Typically, the largest party in the Senedd forms the Welsh Government.

Welsh political parties

The Northern Ireland Legislative Assembly was set up under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, to allow the people of Northern Ireland to run their own government and pass some laws. The United Kingdom parliament can still abolish the assembly, because Northern Ireland is not an independent country, but a part of the United Kingdom. The assembly comes together in the city of Belfast. The Northern Ireland Assembly, frequently referred to as Stormont is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive. The Assembly is a unicameral, democratically elected body comprising 90 members known as Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs). The Assembly selects most of the ministers of the Northern Ireland Executive.

Political parties of Northern Ireland

There are 650 Member of Parliament (MPs)

They are elected for 5 years or until parliament is dissolved. They represent a consituency.People vote for them during a General Election.

They are usually members of a political party.The leader of the party or coalition with the most member becomes Prime Minister

Political parties in England

Political parties in Scotland

Political parties in Wales

Political parties in Northern Ireland

The House of Commons

The Conservative Party, officially the Conservative and Unionist Party is also known as the Tory Party. It is positioned on the centre-right of the British political spectrum. Its current leader is Boris Johnson.

The Liberal Democrats (commonly referred to as the Lib Dems) are a liberal political party. In 2021, the party has 11 Members of Parliament in the House of Commons; The party served as the junior party in a coalition government with the Conservative Party between 2010–2015. Its current leader is Ed Davey

The Labour Party is a centre-left political party. There have been six Labour prime ministers and thirteen Labour ministries. The Labour Party currently forms the Official Opposition in Parliament having won the second-largest number of seats in the 2019 general election. The leader of the party and leader of the opposition is Keir Starmer.

The UK Independence Party (UKIP) is a Eurosceptic, right-wing populist political. The party reached its greatest level of success in the mid-2010s, when it gained two members of Parliament and was the largest party representing the UK in the European Parliament. The party is currently led on an interim basis by Neil Hamilton.

The Alba Party is a Scottish nationalist and pro-independence political party in Scotland. Its current leader is Alex Salmond (former First Minister).

The Scottish National Party (SNP) is a political party in Scotland. It campaigns mostly for Scotland to leave the United Kingdom and become an independent country. It is a social democratic party and is currently the largest party in the Scottish Parliament nd its party leader Nicola Sturgeon is First Minister of Scotland.

The Scottish Green Party is a political party in Scotland that has close relations to the Green Party of England and Wales. The party's policies usually promote green politics, nuclear disarmament, anti-nuclear power, proportional representation, and the creation of an independent Scotland free from the United Kingdom but within the European Union. If Scotland becomes an independent country the party wants the country to be a republic, and no longer be part of the monarchy of the United Kingdom. It also wants an independent Scotland to have its own currency. Its current leaders are Lorna Slater and Patrick Harvie.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats is a political party in Scotland that is part of the British Liberal Democrats. The party's policies usually promote liberalism and progressivism as well as the continuing of Scotland as part of the United Kingdom. Its current leader is Wille Rennie

The Scottish Labour Party is a political party in Scotland. It is part of the British Labour Party. The party's policies usually promote social democracy and democratic socialism. It also supports Scotland remaining part of the United Kingdom and the UK remaining a member of the European Union. Its current leader is Anas Sarwar

The Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party is a political party in Scotland that is part of the British Conservative Party. The party's policies usually promote conservatism and the continuing of Scotland as part of the United Kingdom.The party's leader is Douglas Ross.

The Abolish the Welsh Assembly Party is a registered single issue political party in Wales. It campaigns for the abolition of the Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament. Its current leader is Richard Suchorzewski

The Welsh Liberal Democrats are a branch of the United Kingdom Liberal Democrats that operates in Wales. The party is led by Jane Dodds no relation to your teacher!)

The Welsh Conservatives is the branch of the United Kingdom Conservative Party that operates in Wales. At Westminster elections, it is the second-most popular political party in Wales. Its current leader is Andrew Davies.

Plaid Cymru ( /ˌplaɪd ˈkʌmri/ ) is a Welsh nationalist and social democratic political party in Wales, which advocates for Welsh independence from the United Kingdom.[ Plaid was formed in 1925 and its current leader is Adam Price.

Welsh Labour is the branch of the United Kingdom Labour Party that operates in Wales. It is the largest and most successful political party in modern Welsh politics. Its current leader is Mark Drakeford

The Social Democratic and Labour Party or SDLP is a centre-left political party in Northern Ireland. Its policies promote social democracy and the idea that Northern Ireland should leave the United Kingdom and join with the Republic of Ireland. Its leader is Colum Eastwood . The party rejected violence during the Troubles and was the most successful nationalist party during the 1980s and 1990s.

The Ulster Unionist Party or UUP is a centre-right political party. It wants Northern Ireland to stay in the United Kingdom and is also moderately against the European Union. Its current leader is Robin Swann. During the 2010 general election and the 2009 European Parliament Election, the party allied itself to the UK Conservative Party and called itself Ulster Conservatives and Unionists - New Force.

Sinn Féin (/ʃɪn ˈfeɪn/ )is one of the most important parties arguing for a united island of Ireland and is described as left wing. In the past, the party has been linked to the Provisional IRA. Its current president is Mary Lou McDonald.

The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland is a liberal and non-sectarian political party in Northern Ireland. It is neutral on the issue of whether Northern Ireland should stay in or leave the United Kingdom. Its current leader is Naomi Long The party was founded in 1970 and gained its first elected Member of Parliament (MP) at the 2010 UK General Election. It is close to the British Liberal Democrats.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is a unionist political party favouring British identity. It was founded in 1971 during the Troubles . It is now led by Arlene Foster it has the most seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly, and it is the fifth-largest party in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.

The House of Lords

The House of Lords is one of the two Houses of Parliament. The House of Lords is not elected. 2 people are members because of their job (The Duke of Norfolk, who is the Earl Marshal, and the Marquess of Cholmondeley, the Lord Great Chamberlain, who both help to organise royal events). 90 people are hereditary peers. These are members of the House of Lords because one of their ancestors was made a member and they have been chosen by other members (since 1999). The other members are members for life, either life peers, who have existed since 1958 or as law lords. Law lords were senior judges made members of the House to help when the House of Lords was also the highest court in England and Wales (before the foundation of the Supreme Court in 2009). The twenty-six most senior Bishops of the Church of England also sit in the House of Lords, they are called the Lords Spiritual.

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The governement

The Government of the United Kingdom (HisMajesty's Government) is the central government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Government is led by the Prime Minister, who chooses the other Ministers. The Prime Minister and the other most powerful Ministers belong to a group known as the Cabinet, who are the most important decision makers in the Government. These ministers are all Members of Parliament (MPs). Laws are made by MPs voting in Parliament, which is called 'legislative authority'. These laws make what is called primary legislation. The government is chosen by the people indirectly. The people of the United Kingdom vote in a general election, appointing representatives to the Parliament, at least once every five years. The monarch must select as Prime Minister the person who is likely to have the support of Parliament. By convention, that is normally the leader of the party that has the most MPs in the House of Commons.

The governement

Under the British constitution, laws are made or unmade by Parliament, the power to "give assent" to the laws belongs to the monarch. The monarch is obliged to follow the advice of the government and has not refused to do so since the 17th century. The Cabinet members advise the monarch as part of a group called Privy Council. The British kind of government is a parliamentary government. There are separate governments in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, each responsible to their own local parliament. These parliaments have certain limits decided by the main parliament in Westminster. There is no separate English Parliament. The Prime Minister now is Boris Johnson, the present leader of the Conservative Party.