Today's post will be devoted to the UK's political system.

To begin with, the UK is a parliamentary monarchy, meaning that the monarch is the head of state, but his power is symbolic and ceremonial. The Prime Minister is the head of government and has actual political power. He presides over the Parliament and is the head of the Cabinet (executive organ) in the country.

📎The current monarch of the UK is King Charles III, while the current Prime Minister is Keir Starmer (Labour Party). Robert Walpole was the very first Prime Minister (1721-1742).


The Constitution:
Despite having constitutional power, the British government has no written constitution. Instead, it is a set of leading principles and laws according to which the country operates. Here are some of them:

📖 Magna Carta Libertatum (The Magna Carta) - since 1215 - the barons forced King John to sign the Great Charter of Liberties, putting limits on royal powers and granting basic civil rights to a part of the population.

📖 Habeas Corpus Act - since 1679 - was passed during Charles II's reign. Stated that the person arrested had a right to appear in court of Justice. Made it illegal for the government to detain someone without justifying it in court. (Translates to "you shall have the body" from Latin.)

🎞️ The Bill of Rights - since 1689 - signed during the reign of William III of Orange and Mary II - was a revision of the restriction of monarchical power stated in the Magna Carta.


The Legislature:
The Parliament consists of two houses: the House of Lords (Upper House) and the House of Commons (Lower House).

✨The House of Commons consists of about 650 Members of Parliament (MPs), each of which represents a particular constituency (territory) in the country. One MP term lasts 5 years.

🤩The House of Lords consists of about 832 members, among which there are bishops (Lords Spiritual), hereditary peers and life peers (appointed for life by the King).


The legislative process in a nutshell: A bill is first introduced into the House of Commons/House of Lords (depending on the bill). Upon approval, it gets reviewed and accepted by the second House. The last stage is the monarch's assent. Finally, the law is passed and implemented.

📎The Parliament gathers at the Palace of Westminster. The Prime Minister lives on 10 Downing Street. The Royal Family lives in the Buckingham Palace.

#countrystudies