57-408: In British politics , the shadow home secretary (formally known as the shadow secretary of state for the home department ) is the person within the shadow cabinet who shadows the home secretary ; this effectively means scrutinising government policy on home affairs including policing , national security , and matters of citizenship . The shadow home secretary also formerly had responsibility for
114-550: A Government Minister who is often a Secretary of State and member of the Cabinet . The minister may also be supported by a number of junior ministers. In practice, several government departments and ministers have responsibilities that cover England alone, with devolved bodies having responsibility for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, (for example – the Department of Health ), or responsibilities that mainly focus on England (such as
171-561: 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
228-478: 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
285-412: 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
342-594: 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
399-518: A working majority in Parliament. A Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition government held office from 2010 until 2015, the first coalition since 1945. The coalition ended following parliamentary elections on 7 May 2015 , in which the Conservative Party won an outright majority of seats, 330 of the 650 seats in the House of Commons, while their coalition partners lost all but eight seats. With
456-424: 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
513-522: Is a constitutional monarchy which, by legislation and convention , operates as a unitary parliamentary democracy . A hereditary monarch , currently King Charles III , serves as head of state while the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom , currently Sir Keir Starmer since 2024 , serves as the elected head of government . Under the United Kingdom's parliamentary system, executive power
570-513: Is drawn from and is answerable to Parliament – a successful vote of no confidence will force the government either to resign or to seek a parliamentary dissolution and a general election . In practice, members of parliament of all major parties are strictly controlled by whips who try to ensure they vote according to party policy. If the government has a large majority, then they are very unlikely to lose enough votes to be unable to pass legislation. The Prime Minister, currently Sir Keir Starmer,
627-620: Is exercised by His Majesty's Government , whose leadership are formally appointed by the King to act in his name. However, the King may only appoint individuals that are members of and have the confidence of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . The Parliament has two houses: the House of Commons and the House of Lords . The Parliament is the UK's supreme legislative body ; however some powers have been devolved to
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#1732854668382684-596: 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
741-507: Is the most senior minister in the Cabinet. Their tenure begins when they are appointed by the monarch. The Prime Minister is responsible for chairing Cabinet meetings, selecting Cabinet ministers (and all other positions in His Majesty's government), and formulating government policy. The Prime Minister being the de facto leader of the UK, exercises executive functions that are nominally vested in
798-966: Is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom (i.e., there is parliamentary sovereignty ), and government is drawn from and answerable to it. Parliament is bicameral , consisting of the House of Commons and the House of Lords . There are also devolved Scottish and Welsh parliaments and a devolved assembly in Northern Ireland, with varying degrees of legislative authority. His Majesty%27s Government 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
855-418: The 2011 Scottish Parliament elections which formed the current Scottish Government administration. In a 2014 referendum on independence 44.7% of voters voted for independence versus 55.3% against. In Northern Ireland, Irish nationalist parties such as Sinn Féin advocate Irish reunification . In Wales, Welsh nationalist parties such as Plaid Cymru support Welsh independence . The constitution of
912-1272: The Conservative and Labour parties. The corresponding position for the Liberal Democrats is the Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson . Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Mel Stride Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp British politics 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 United Kingdom
969-570: The Department for Education ). Implementation of the Minister's decisions is carried out by a permanent politically neutral organisation known as the Civil Service . Its constitutional role is to support the Government of the day regardless of which political party is in power. Unlike some other democracies, senior civil servants remain in post upon a change of Government. Administrative management of
1026-473: 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
1083-821: The Lord Advocate and Solicitor General are the Members of the Scottish Government and attend meetings of the Scottish cabinet , as set out in the Scotland Act 1998 . They are collectively known as "the Scottish Ministers". The Welsh Government and Senedd have more limited powers than those devolved to Scotland, although following the passing of the Government of Wales Act 2006 and the 2011 Welsh devolution referendum ,
1140-585: The Scottish Government , the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive . The monarch appoints a Prime Minister as the head of His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom , guided by the strict convention that the Prime Minister should be the member of the House of Commons most likely to be able to form a Government with the support of that House. In practice, this means that
1197-540: The criminal justice system and the prison service; these responsibilities are now held by the shadow justice secretary . If the opposition party is elected to government, the Shadow Home Secretary often becomes the new Home Secretary, though this is not always the case. The office is currently held by Chris Philp , a member of the Conservative shadow cabinet . In recent decades, the positions of home secretary and shadow home secretary have alternated between
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#17328546683821254-509: The energy network , the environment, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service , some aspects of equality legislation, housing, planning, sport , culture , tourism , the Crown Estate , onshore oil and gas licensing , some aspects of taxation including Scottish council tax and transport . In the 2024–25 financial year, its annual budget was almost £60 billion. The government is led by
1311-527: The first minister , assisted by the deputy first minister alongside various Ministers with individual portfolios and remits. The Scottish Parliament nominates a Member to be appointed as First Minister by the King . The first minister then appoints their Ministers (known as Cabinet Secretaries) and junior Ministers, subject to approval by the Parliament. The first minister, the Ministers (but not junior ministers ),
1368-740: The parliaments of Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland . The British political system is a multiple-party system and was according to the V-Dem Democracy Indices 2023 the 22nd most electorally democratic in the world. Since the 1920s, the two dominant parties have been the Conservative Party and the Labour Party . Before the Labour Party rose in British politics, the Liberal Party
1425-613: The partition of Ireland , Northern Ireland received home rule in 1920, though civil unrest meant direct rule was restored in 1972. Support for nationalist parties in Scotland and Wales led to proposals for devolution in the 1970s, though only in the 1990s did devolution happen. Today, Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland each possess a parliament and government, with devolution in Northern Ireland being conditional on participation in certain all-Ireland institutions . The British government remains responsible for non-devolved matters and, in
1482-422: The British government away from the sovereign. Theoretically, the Prime Minister is primus inter pares (i.e., Latin for "first among equals") among their Cabinet colleagues. While the Prime Minister is the senior Cabinet Minister, they are theoretically bound to make executive decisions in a collective fashion with the other Cabinet ministers. The Cabinet, along with the PM, consists of Secretaries of State from
1539-456: 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
1596-606: 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
1653-559: The Senedd can now legislate in some areas through an Act of Senedd Cymru . The current First Minister of Wales , or Prif Weinidog Cymru in Welsh, is Eluned Morgan of Welsh Labour . Assembly have powers closer to those already devolved to Scotland. The Northern Ireland Executive is led by a diarchy , most recently First Minister Michelle O'Neill ( Sinn Féin ) and deputy First Minister Emma-Little Pengelly ( DUP ) The British Parliament
1710-575: The United Kingdom is uncodified , being made up of constitutional conventions , statutes and other elements. This system of government, known as the Westminster system , has been adopted by other countries, especially those that were formerly parts of the British Empire . The United Kingdom is also responsible for several dependencies, which fall into two categories: the Crown Dependencies , in
1767-509: 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
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1824-440: 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
1881-540: The case of Northern Ireland, co-operates with the government of the Republic of Ireland . Devolution of executive and legislative powers may have contributed to increased support for independence in the constituent parts of the United Kingdom . The principal Scottish pro-independence party, the Scottish National Party , became a minority government in 2007 and then went on to win an overall majority of MSPs at
1938-411: 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
1995-436: 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,
2052-475: The department is led by a head civil servant known in most Departments as a Permanent secretary . The majority of the civil service staff in fact work in executive agencies , which are separate operational organisations reporting to Departments of State. "Whitehall" is often used as a metonym for the central core of the Civil Service. This is because most Government Departments have headquarters in and around
2109-409: 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
2166-547: The former Royal Palace Whitehall . The Scottish Government is responsible for all issues that are not explicitly reserved to the United Kingdom Parliament at Westminster , by the Scotland Act ; including NHS Scotland , education , justice , rural affairs, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, some aspects of the benefits system , elections to the Scottish Parliament and local government, some aspects of
2223-525: 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
2280-702: 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
2337-477: 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
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2394-514: 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
2451-544: The immediate vicinity of the UK, are strictly-speaking subject to the Crown (i.e., the Monarch) but not part of the sovereign territory of the United Kingdom (though de facto British territory), and British Overseas Territories , as British colonies were re-designated in 1983, which are part of the sovereign territory of the United Kingdom, in most of which aspects of internal governance have been delegated to local governments, with each territory having its own first minister, though
2508-406: The issue or withdrawal of passports, to the dismissal of the prime minister or even the declaration of war. The powers are delegated from the monarch personally, in the name of the Crown, and can be handed to various ministers, or other officers of the Crown, and can purposely bypass the consent of Parliament. The head of His Majesty's Government , the prime minister, also has weekly meetings with
2565-419: The leader of the political party with an absolute majority of seats in the House of Commons is chosen to be the Prime Minister. If no party has an absolute majority, the leader of the largest party is given the first opportunity to form a coalition. The Prime Minister then selects the other Ministers which make up the Government and act as political heads of the various Government Departments . About twenty of
2622-434: The most senior government ministers make up the Cabinet and approximately 100 ministers in total comprise the government. In accordance with constitutional convention , all ministers within the government are either Members of Parliament or peers in the House of Lords . As in some other parliamentary systems of government (especially those based upon the Westminster system ), the executive (called "the government")
2679-416: The national government performs the role of local government within that area). The British monarch , currently King Charles III , is the head of state of the United Kingdom . Though he takes little direct part in government, the Crown remains the fount in which ultimate executive power over government lies. These powers are known as royal prerogative and can be used for a vast amount of things, such as
2736-433: 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
2793-433: 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
2850-524: The sovereign (by way of the Royal Prerogatives). Historically, the British monarch was the sole source of executive powers in the government. However, following the lead of the Hanoverian monarchs, an arrangement of a "Prime Minister" chairing and leading the Cabinet began to emerge. Over time, this arrangement became the effective executive branch of government, as it assumed the day-to-day functioning of
2907-642: 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
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#17328546683822964-475: The sovereign, where they may express their feelings, warn, or advise the prime minister in the government's work. According to the uncodified constitution of the United Kingdom, the monarch has the following powers: Domestic powers Foreign powers Executive power in the United Kingdom is exercised by the Sovereign, King Charles III , via His Majesty's Government and the devolved national authorities –
3021-400: 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
3078-476: 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
3135-600: The title used may differ, such as in the case of the Chief Minister of Gibraltar, though they remain subject to the Parliament of the United Kingdom (when United Kingdom is used to refer only to that part of the British Realm, or sovereign British territory, which is governed directly by the British Government, and not via local subsidiary governments, United Kingdom logically refers to a local government area, though
3192-898: The various government departments, the Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain , the Lord Privy Seal , the Lord President of the Council , the President of the Board of Trade , the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Ministers without portfolio . Cabinet meetings are typically held weekly, while Parliament is in session. The Government of the United Kingdom contains a number of ministries known mainly, though not exclusively as departments, e.g., Department for Education . These are politically led by
3249-461: Was the other major political party, along with the Conservatives. While coalition and minority governments have been an occasional feature of parliamentary politics, the first-past-the-post electoral system used for general elections tends to maintain the dominance of these two parties, though each has in the past century relied upon a third party , such as the Liberal Democrats , to deliver
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