The Parliament

In the United Kingdom, the legislative power is held by Parliament, which has legal sovereignty. The main roles of Parliament are:

- to examine proposals for new laws and legislation.

- to make laws, including the amending and abolishing of laws.

- to debate major issues of the day.

Since 1999, there has been a devolved Parliament in Scotland, as well as devolved Assemblies in Wales and Northern Ireland.

The parliamentary system in the United Kingdom is bicameral. That is to say, since the 14th century, Parliament comprises two chambers that sit separately: the elected House of Commons (also called the Lower House and, to a lesser extent, the First House) and the unelected House of Lords (also named the Upper House or the Second House).

The Monarch too forms part of Parliament, although they only go to Parliament for the official State Opening of Parliament held each year at the start of the Parliamentary session, in the House of Lords.

During the ceremony, the Monarch makes the King's Speech from the throne, in which they announce the legislative agenda of the forthcoming parliamentary session (in fact, the speech is written by the Prime Minister).

→ This is the only occasion when the two Chambers and the Monarch meet all together at Westminster.

However, the Monarch cannot enter the House of Commons.

Until 2010, a Parliament could last up to five consecutive years, although it usually went on for less, being dissolved by the Monarch (according to the advice of the Prime Minister) prior to a general election. However, Parliament is not dissolved if the Prime Minister dies or resigns during their term in office. If an MP dies or resigns, there is just a by-election in that constituency for that particular seat.

The House of Commons is where the elected Members Parliament ( Mps) officialy meet to debate. Technically speaking, all members of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords are Mps. However, according to convention, the term MP only applies to members of the House of Commons : that is to say, those representatives who are democratically elected directly by popular vote in a general election. 

The House of Commons is made up of two blocks of rows of green leather-covered benches that face each other. This is an unusual arrangement, as many parliaments are based on a less confrontational horseshoe shape.

At the center of the chamber is the Table of the House, on which sits the Mace (when the House of Commons is sitting) and the Dispatch boxes.

The mace is a ceremonial staff of office (stick) that is there as a symbol of the power and authority the Crown delegated to the House of Commons in the past.

The two Dispatch Boxes (each containing a Bible), one on either side of the Table of the House, are used as lecterns by ministers and shadow ministers when they are addressing the House of Commons.

The Speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, and he/she wears black ceremonial robes. He/she acts as chairperson during debates, making sure the rules are obeyed and keeping order by calling out ‘Order, Order!’.

Elected by members of the House of Commons at the beginning of each new Parliament (after a general election), or when the previous Speaker resigns or dies, the Speaker is usually a senior MP.

However, once elected, the Speaker is no longer allowed to represent any political party.

By convention, the Speaker does not take part in debates and is supposed to remain impartial, only voting if there is a tie, thus giving the casting vote.

The main political party that does not have the majority in the House of Commons is called 'His Majesty’s Opposition' or just the Opposition. It sits to the Speaker’s left, opposite 'His Majesty's Government'. MPs who are in neither the party forming the Government, nor the official Opposition also sit facing the government benches.

→ The Leader of the Opposition is the head of the main party forming the Opposition, and he sits directly opposite the Prime Minister in the House of Commons. The Leader of the Opposition is surrounded by the Shadow Cabinet, which gathers the opposite numbers for all the ministers in the Government. Such a setup facilitates debates in the House of Commons and enables the Opposition to have a specialist in each field. The Leader of the House of Commons is a member of the Cabinet appointed by the Prime Minister. There is also a Shadow Leader of the House of Commons.

The Father of the House is the title bestowed on the MP with the longest unbroken service in the House of Commons.

→ Above the Speaker’s Chair, there is a raised press gallery for journalists, and on the opposite side, there is a public gallery for visiting members of the public. There is also a VIP gallery, as well as extra seating for MPs.

The House of Lords is the Upper chamber of the Houses of Parliament. The House of Lords is the debating chamber of Members of the House of Lords who are known as peers. The role of the House of Lords is to complement the work of the House of Commons, considering and revising legislation, debating issues of importance, and providing a forum for government ministers to be questioned. Peers and peeresses are not paid for their parliamentary work. They are, however, entitled to get their expenses reimbursed (travel, food, and secretarial costs).

There are two main types of peers: The Lords Temporal (lay peers) and the Lords Spiritual (clergymen). No peers are elected directly by the people.

→ Hereditary peers and peeresses who have inherited their title from their forefathers and who will pass on their title to their next of kin (the eldest son, but if there is no son, it is passed on to the eldest daughter).

→ Life peers and peeresses who are appointed by the Prime Minister in the name of the King, generally in recognition of distinguished service. They cannot pass on their title.

Following the 1997 general election, the Labour Party led by Tony Blair honored its manifesto pledge to introduce a bill on House of Lords reform, in order to remove the automatic right of hereditary peers to sit and vote. Labour considered the system outdated and undemocratic.

Hereditary peers, being mostly Conservative, elderly, white, Protestant males, only there of their inherited privilege. Moreover, the separation of power (executive, legislative, and judicial) is undermined.

The Liberal Democrats are strongly in favor of reform of the House of Lords.

→ Support for the House of Lords and hence opposition to reform is based on the following points:

• First, the belief that the House of Lords has functioned more or less satisfactorily for centuries, so there is no need to change the system.
• Second, that the House of Lords is supposed to be above party politics, thus fairer, in a way that any new elected chamber probably would not be.
• Third, the House of Lords also debates a great deal, which frees time for the House of Commons.
• Lastly, the House of Lords is considered to be useful because it can amend or slow down the passage of radical legislation initiated by a government in the House of Commons with a big majority.

The primary role of King Charles III is being a symbol of unity and continuity of the UK within the Commonwealth of Nations. Some of the large number of the Monarch’s constitutional and ceremonial duties are summarized below.

Head of State

The Monarch acts as a focus for the nation to join together. He stands over ceremonial occasions, visits local communities, and represents the United Kingdom around the world. The British Monarch is also the Head of State of Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.

Head of the Commonwealth

The Monarch is also Head of the British Commonwealth. During her reign.

Head of the Armed Forces

The Monarch is the Head of the Armed Forces and formally declares war and peace. Members of the Armed Forces swear allegiance to the Crown.

Head of the Church of England and the Church of Scotland

The Monarch is also Head of the Church of England and the Church of Scotland. Thus, the State and the Church are not separate.

Head of the Executive

The Monarch is the source of all Executive power in the United Kingdom. However, in reality, the Monarch does not exercise these powers; the Government, the Cabinet, and the Prime Minister carry out executive functions in the name of the Crown.

Opening of Parliament:

Each year, the Monarch opens the new parliamentary session at the Palace of Westminster. During the ceremony of the State Opening of Parliament, in the House of Lords, the Monarch addresses both houses via the King’s Speech (speech from the throne), in which the Government’s programme for the forthcoming session of Parliament is outlined.

→ In fact, the speech is written by the Prime Minister and his aides.

Dissolution of Parliament

Before a general election is held, the Monarch must give permission for Parliament to be dissolved. In reality, the opening and dissolution of Parliament are carried out at the Prime Minister’s wishes.

Liaison with the Prime Minister

The Monarch generally meets with the Prime Minister during 'an audience' at Buckingham Palace once a week, usually Tuesday, in order to discuss current issues.

The electoral system of the UK for a general election is based on obtaining a simple majority and not an absolute majority. The candidate who obtains the most votes in the constituency where he/she stands is elected to the House of Commons and so becomes or remains an MP. He or she does not need to gain more than 50% of the votes in order to win the constituency.

The political party that wins half of all the constituencies wins the general election. Hence the name given to the electoral system ‘First-Past-The-Post’ (like in a horse race). Each constituency represents one seat in the House of Commons. The winning party goes on to form ‘His Majesty’s Government.’

On the very rare occasions when no party wins a majority of the constituencies, there is a hung Parliament. When this occurs, the party winning the most seats usually forms a coalition government with a minor party.