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41-692: In the inter-war period the strategic planning of the UK's oil supplies in the event of war was the responsibility of the Oil Board. This was established in 1925 as a sub-committee of the Committee of Imperial Defence . By the late 1930s the Oil Board's preparatory work for war was focused on potential sources of supply particularly from the Middle East, and Central and South America, together with practical issues of tankage and storage. The Oil Board planned that wartime petroleum

82-561: A greater or lesser degree (for instance Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster or Lord Privy Seal ). The government is sometimes referred to by the metonym " Westminster " or " Whitehall ", as many of its offices are situated there. These metonyms are used especially by members of the Scottish Government , Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive to differentiate their government from His Majesty's Government. The United Kingdom

123-478: A member of either House of Parliament. In practice, however, the convention is that ministers must be members of either the House of Commons or the House of Lords to be accountable to Parliament. From time to time, prime ministers appoint non-parliamentarians as ministers. In recent years such ministers have been appointed to the House of Lords. The government is required by convention and for practical reasons to maintain

164-412: A new House of Commons, unless the prime minister advises the monarch to dissolve Parliament , in which case an election may be held sooner. After an election, the monarch selects as prime minister the leader of the party most likely to command the confidence of the House of Commons, usually by possessing a majority of MPs. Under the uncodified British constitution , executive authority lies with

205-563: A role into the 1920s. It was effectively a peacetime defence planning system, one which only provided advice; formal authority remained with Ministers and service chiefs, which helped ensure the Committee's acceptability to the existing bureaucracy . Chaired by the Prime Minister, members were usually cabinet ministers, the heads of the military services, and key civil servants; Prime Ministers from Dominion countries were de facto members of

246-463: A specific topic. Many such sub-committees were engendered over the decades, on topics such as foreign espionage (a committee report in 1909 led to the founding of MI5 and MI6 ), food rationing, and aerial defence. It is possible to argue that the Committee of Imperial Defence was an important step in the development of national security coordination in the UK, and to see the current National Security Council as one of its descendants. The committee

287-594: A substantial grant from the government, the Sovereign Support Grant , and Queen Elizabeth II's inheritance from her mother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother , was exempt from inheritance tax . In addition to legislative powers, His Majesty's Government has substantial influence over local authorities and other bodies set up by it, through financial powers and grants. Many functions carried out by local authorities, such as paying out housing benefits and council tax benefits, are funded or substantially part-funded by

328-424: Is a constitutional monarchy in which the reigning monarch (that is, the king or queen who is the head of state at any given time) does not make any open political decisions. All political decisions are taken by the government and Parliament. This constitutional state of affairs is the result of a long history of constraining and reducing the political power of the monarch, beginning with Magna Carta in 1215. Since

369-596: Is not vital. A government is not required to resign even if it loses the confidence of the Lords and is defeated in key votes in that House. The House of Commons is thus the responsible house . The prime minister is held to account during Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) which provides an opportunity for MPs from all parties to question the PM on any subject. There are also departmental questions when ministers answer questions relating to their specific departmental brief. Unlike PMQs, both

410-473: The Greater London Authority disputed. Similarly, the monarch is immune from criminal prosecution and may only be sued with his permission (this is known as sovereign immunity ). The sovereign, by law, is not required to pay income tax, but Queen Elizabeth II voluntarily paid it from 1993 until the end of her reign in 2022, and also paid local rates voluntarily. However, the monarchy also received

451-571: The Royal Navy and the British Army , after the military reductions in the wake of the Boer War. However, no arrangements were made for it to formally pass on its conclusions to those with the ability to translate them into actions. This lack soon became obvious enough that a Secretariat was appointed, under Sir George Clarke . In addition to acting as a communicator, Clarke was tasked with making sure that

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492-794: The Board in 1939 were: Committee of Imperial Defence The Committee of Imperial Defence was an important ad hoc part of the Government of the United Kingdom and the British Empire from just after the Second Boer War until the start of the Second World War . It was responsible for research, and some co-ordination, on issues of military strategy . Typically, a temporary sub-committee would be set up to investigate and report at length on

533-418: The Board later. The aim of the board was to oversee the import, processing, storage, distribution and delivery of all petroleum products in the UK with the exception of oil for the Royal Navy . Supplies of petroleum and petroleum products were no longer branded and competition between the oil companies was suspended. The board was acknowledged to have been effective. The success was claimed to be largely due to

574-599: The Board's Chairman, Sir Andrew Agnew, who had extensive knowledge of the oil industry and commanded respect within it. Sir Andrew was Managing Director of Shell Transport and Trading . In 1940 with most of the east coast and English Channel ports closed by enemy bombing there was congestion of shipping at the west coast ports in Bristol Channel , the River Mersey and the River Clyde . The amount of petroleum being imported

615-753: The Committee in peacetime as well. The Committee became the Defence Committee in 1947. Government of the United Kingdom King Charles III [REDACTED] William, Prince of Wales [REDACTED] Charles III ( King-in-Council ) [REDACTED] Starmer ministry ( L ) Keir Starmer ( L ) Angela Rayner ( L ) ( King-in-Parliament ) [REDACTED] Charles III [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The Lord Reed The Lord Hodge Andrew Bailey Monetary Policy Committee The government of

656-503: The Crown, who may use them without having to obtain the consent of Parliament. The prime minister also has weekly meetings with the monarch. What is said in these meetings is strictly private; however, they generally involve government and political matters which the monarch has a "right and a duty" to comment on. Such comments are non-binding however and the King must ultimately abide by decisions of

697-606: The European Parliament are immune from prosecution in EU states under any circumstance. As a consequence, neither EU bodies nor diplomats have to pay taxes, since it would not be possible to prosecute them for tax evasion. When the UK was a member of the EU, this caused a dispute when the US ambassador to the UK claimed that London's congestion charge was a tax, and not a charge (despite the name), and therefore he did not have to pay it—a claim

738-621: The Minister directed the oil industry to set up two advisory committees to provide liaison between the industry and the government. These were the United Kingdom Petroleum Advisory Committee to provide information to, and cooperate with, government in safeguarding the national interest in petroleum. And the Oil Industry Advisory Council to act with the government on oil matters in general. The members of

779-579: The Petroleum Board as being the authority responsible for rationing. This prompted the chairman of the Petroleum Board, Sir Andrew Agnew, to write to the press to assert that the Board was not responsible for rationing. He pointed out that this was the responsibility of the Petroleum Department of Board of Trade, and the Ministry of War Transport . The original agreement, made when the Petroleum Board

820-509: The United Kingdom , officially His Majesty's Government , abbreviated to HM Government , is the central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland . The government is led by the prime minister (currently Keir Starmer since 5 July 2024) who selects all the other ministers . The country has had a Labour government since 2024. The prime minister Keir Starmer and his most senior ministers belong to

861-440: The cabinet ministers for the department and junior ministers within the department may answer on behalf of the government, depending on the topic of the question. During debates on legislation proposed by the government, ministers—usually with departmental responsibility for the bill —will lead the debate for the government and respond to points made by MPs or Lords. Committees of both the House of Commons and House of Lords hold

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902-411: The charity commissions) are legally more or less independent of the government, and government powers are legally limited to those retained by the Crown under common law or granted and limited by act of Parliament. Both substantive and procedural limitations are enforceable in the courts by judicial review . Nevertheless, magistrates and mayors can still be arrested and put on trial for corruption, and

943-436: The confidence of the House of Commons. It requires the support of the House of Commons for the maintenance of supply (by voting through the government's budgets) and to pass primary legislation . By convention, if a government loses the confidence of the House of Commons it must either resign or a general election is held. The support of the Lords, while useful to the government in getting its legislation passed without delay,

984-438: The event the Petroleum Board was dissolved on 30 June 1948. However, the individual companies agreed not to introduce branded products for at least six months. In Parliament the Minister of Fuel and Power acknowledged the ‘government’s appreciation of the great wartime services ... by the Petroleum Board ... and to thank all members and staff ... for the valuable work they have done’. To continue coordination of petroleum supplies

1025-409: The exchequer to be a member of the House of Lords was Lord Denman , who served for one month in 1834. The British monarch is the head of state and the sovereign , but not the head of government . The monarch takes little direct part in governing the country and remains neutral in political affairs. However, the authority of the state that is vested in the sovereign, known as the Crown , remains

1066-525: The government has powers to insert commissioners into a local authority to oversee its work, and to issue directives that must be obeyed by the local authority if the local authority is not abiding by its statutory obligations. By contrast, as in European Union (EU) member states, EU officials cannot be prosecuted for any actions carried out in pursuit of their official duties, and foreign country diplomats (though not their employees) and foreign members of

1107-755: The government on the statement. When the government instead chooses to make announcements first outside Parliament, it is often the subject of significant criticism from MPs and the speaker of the House of Commons . The prime minister is based at 10 Downing Street in Westminster , London. Cabinet meetings also take place here. Most government departments have their headquarters nearby in Whitehall . The government's powers include general executive and statutory powers , delegated legislation , and numerous powers of appointment and patronage. However, some powerful officials and bodies, (e.g. HM judges, local authorities , and

1148-477: The government to account, scrutinise its work and examine in detail proposals for legislation. Ministers appear before committees to give evidence and answer questions. Government ministers are also required by convention and the Ministerial Code , when Parliament is sitting, to make major statements regarding government policy or issues of national importance to Parliament. This allows MPs or Lords to question

1189-514: The government. Royal prerogative powers include, but are not limited to, the following: While no formal documents set out the prerogatives, the government published the above list in October 2003 to increase transparency, as some of the powers exercised in the name of the monarch are part of the royal prerogative . However, the complete extent of the royal prerogative powers has never been fully set out, as many of them originated in ancient custom and

1230-498: The guidance of Maurice Hankey , the Committee slowly gained in importance. Hankey was appointed Naval Assistant Secretary to the Committee in 1908, and became Secretary to the Committee in 1912; he would hold that position for the next twenty-six years. By 1914, the Committee had begun to act as a defence planning agency for the whole British Empire, consequently providing advice to the Dominions on occasion. It continued to perform such

1271-830: The outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939. It was based in Shell Mex House on the Strand, London . The membership comprised the Chairmen or Chief Executives of most of the petroleum and oil companies operating in the UK. The original corporate membership was the Anglo-American Oil Company , the National Benzole , Shell-Mex & BP , and Trinidad Leaseholds and their associated companies. Other oil companies joined

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1312-433: The period of absolute monarchy , or were modified by later constitutional practice. As of 2019, there are around 120 government ministers supported by 560,000 civil servants and other staff working in the 24 ministerial departments and their executive agencies . There are also an additional 20 non-ministerial departments with a range of further responsibilities. In theory, a government minister does not have to be

1353-554: The policies agreed to by the committee were implemented. With the fall of the Balfour Government in December 1905, and with the military services determined to control their own futures, these plans fell through, and with no support from the incoming Prime Minister, he resigned in 1907. A small Secretariat became permanent and provided communication between members outside of Committee meetings, and with other civil servants . Under

1394-433: The source of executive power exercised by the government. In addition to explicit statutory authority , the Crown also possesses a body of powers in certain matters collectively known as the royal prerogative . These powers range from the authority to issue or withdraw passports to declarations of war. By long-standing convention, most of these powers are delegated from the sovereign to various ministers or other officers of

1435-642: The sovereign, although this authority is exercised only after receiving the advice of the Privy Council . The prime minister, the House of Lords, the Leader of the Opposition, and the police and military high command serve as members and advisers of the monarch on the Privy Council. In most cases the cabinet exercise power directly as leaders of the government departments , though some Cabinet positions are sinecures to

1476-400: The start of Edward VII 's reign in 1901, by convention, the prime minister has been an elected member of Parliament (MP) and thus answerable to the House of Commons, although there were two weeks in 1963 when Alec Douglas-Home was first a member of the House of Lords and then of neither house. A similar convention applies to the position of chancellor of the exchequer . The last chancellor of

1517-572: The supreme decision-making committee, known as the Cabinet . Ministers of the Crown are responsible to the House in which they sit; they make statements in that House and take questions from members of that House. For most senior ministers this is usually the elected House of Commons rather than the House of Lords . The government is dependent on Parliament to make primary legislation , and general elections are held every five years (at most) to elect

1558-534: Was established in 1902 by Arthur Balfour , then British Prime Minister , following the recommendations of St John Brodrick and Lord Selborne , respectively Secretary of State for War and First Lord of the Admiralty . In 1904, on the recommendation of the Esher Committee , it was given a secretariat . The original concept was to create a strategic vision defining the future roles of the two military services,

1599-553: Was established, provided for its dissolution no more than two years after the state of emergency ended. The oil companies also wished to return to individual marketing and claimed that the continuation of pooling was frustrating the development of distribution. In August 1947 the Minister of Fuel and Power announced that the Petroleum Board would be dissolved on 31 December 1947. The war-time pooling arrangements had been retained long after most countries had returned to commercial supplies. In

1640-450: Was limited to pre-war levels. The Petroleum Board addressed these logistical issues and achieved a doubling of oil import by the summer of 1941. Also during the fuel crisis during the winter of 1940-41 there were few problems with the distribution of petroleum. The board made arrangements to use oil barges and ‘block’ trains to transport oil. In 1941 there were reports in the press concerning rationing of petrol that had incorrectly identified

1681-449: Was to be operated on the basis of an ‘oil pool’ with production of petroleum from individual companies pooled and then controlled and distributed by a Petroleum Board. Following the establishment of the Petroleum Board the functions of the Oil Board were subsumed in the Petroleum Department ( Secretary for Petroleum ) of the Board of Trade . The Petroleum Board was established within a week of

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