The UK Political System
A constitutional monarchy
A parliamentary democracy
Play
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.
Parliament
The House of Commons
The House of Lords
Scottish Paliament
Welsh Parliament
Northern Ireland Assembly
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
The House of Commons
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 Wales
Political parties in Scotland
Political parties in Northern Ireland
Play
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.
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.
British political System
Ellen Dodds
Created on April 27, 2021
Start designing with a free template
Discover more than 1500 professional designs like these:
View
Teaching Challenge: Transform Your Classroom
View
Frayer Model
View
Math Calculations
View
Interactive QR Code Generator
View
Piñata Challenge
View
Interactive Scoreboard
View
Interactive Bingo
Explore all templates
Transcript
The UK Political System
A constitutional monarchy
A parliamentary democracy
Play
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.
Parliament
The House of Commons
The House of Lords
Scottish Paliament
Welsh Parliament
Northern Ireland Assembly
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
The House of Commons
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 Wales
Political parties in Scotland
Political parties in Northern Ireland
Play
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.
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.