Hello readers! I hope you like the weather here in Central London… permanently drizzling. I will be your tour guide for today, through London and the government that lies within!
All of us at some point have certainly flicked through the channels on television, and come across some UK-based news channel, most probably the BBC. A minister will be scrambling to justify decisions in front of a lectern (which are actually boxes called despatch boxes), or those terribly old-fashioned green benches of the House of Commons. If we’re lucky, most of us might catch one or two familiar names and terms. But, what does it all mean? How does the UK government work?
First, we have to define the term government. Far from being the term we use for any (vaguely official-looking) person with that same BBC camera pointed at their face, it is the entire system of leading a country. This system, in the UK, is split up into three parts – the Executive, Legislative and Judiciary branches. The UK constitution is the set of ‘rules’ that outlines the responsibilities of these branches, and the rights and responsibilities of a citizen too. The UK constitution is a bit different from the American one most of us are more familiar with, in that it is:
- UNCODIFIED – so not actually written down on only one document like the US constitution
- NOT ENTRENCHED – so laws can be changed or removed pretty easily and regularly, unlike the difficulty of adding a new amendment to the US constitution
- UNITARY – All authority lies in Parliament (we will get to what that means!)
This constitution arose from multiple sources, as again, it isn’t all in one document. Statute law was passed by elected officials, common law is previous court decisions that can be used as a de facto rule for similar court cases following it, and there is also convention, which basically means tradition (that can be later challenged in court as it isn’t technically a law). All of these make up this ‘constitution’.
What do the three branches of government do though? Well, in short, the Legislative branch makes the laws, the Executive branch puts them into action and makes a further reaching plan or vision for the country’s present and future, and the Judicial branch enforces those laws. Now, grab onto your hats – or briefcases, more thematically – because what follows is a complicated, albeit mildly simplified, explanation of what those branches are comprised of and how they work. Watch your step!
Down this road is Buckingham Palace. This is the official residence of the King of England.
The UK is a constitutional monarchy, meaning that the Government shares power with the monarch. However, the King is mostly a figurehead, and reserves only some political powers. The King is the Head of State, and isn’t elected, but the Prime Minister is elected and is the Head of Government. Theoretically, the King or Queen’s representatives have the power to dismiss the PMs of the UK and it’s Commonwealth (a union of UK’s former colonies that are still under the monarchy of the UK) but that has only happened recently once, in Australia in 1975. Today, that would be an unprecedented occurrence. The Prime Minister’s, or PM’s, political party is elected in general elections where all of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales vote, and the Prime Minister is selected as the leader who has most favour within the party. There are two major political parties in the UK, called the Conservative (Tory) party and the Labour party, although other parties like the Liberals and Greens are gaining more support through recent elections.
The PM is the head of the executive branch of government that we previously mentioned. They also appoint ministers, who are the heads of various departments necessary to keep the country running, with the ministries being similar to Kuwait’s system! The most senior of ministers are called Secretaries of State, and 20 or so make up the UK’s cabinet, which is the other part of the executive branch. This ‘Cabinet’ (not a piece of furniture!) is like an advisory committee to the PM, who’s experts on various fields can ensure every area of society is represented within decisions. On your left is 70 Whitehall, the Cabinet’s Head Office. Next to them is the more famous 10 Downing Street, where the PM lives with his family.
Some of the Cabinet’s most important jobs are dealing with the most pressing and nationwide issues such as Foreign Affairs, Defense, Healthcare, alongside proposing the government budget. Usually, these positions are occupied by someone from the same political party as the prime minister. For example, if the PM was in the Conservative party, then most or all of their ministers in the cabinet will be Conservatives. However, to keep it fair, every minister and important position has a ‘Shadow’ version of the job that is occupied by the opposite party. This means that those Conservative ministers (eg. the Secretary of State for Defence) will have their Labour counterparts (which will be called the Shadow Secretary of State for Defense). These Shadow ministers make up a Shadow Cabinet who’s job it is to keep the PM and his advisors accountable for their actions.
Parliament is the next part of government, the Legislative branch. We’ll soon get to their address – the Palace of Westminster. That’s the long building right next to Big Ben, although I suppose it gets quite frequently ignored in the tourist photos! Parliament’s main job is to pass laws. It consists of three entities – the House Of Commons, the House of Lords, and the Crown. The Crown is basically the monarch, but the main power is in the H.O.C. and the H.O.L. The House of Commons is made up of 650 elected members, and they are called members of parliament, or MP’s. MP’s are elected through constituency elections, and represent their constituents and their interests in Parliament. This is a bit like if every block in Kuwait elected one person to speak for that block’s needs, to ensure fair representation of everyone. The House of Lords isn’t elected though, and is made up of a variety of members, called ‘peers’. The House of Lords has historical origins from when members of the aristocracy would advise the King on important matters, before the UK became a constitutional monarchy. Some members are still only in the House due to their status of nobility, called ‘Hereditary Peers’ , but nowadays there are also experts on various topics (appointed by an independent commission) and religious leaders from the Church of England, respectively called ‘Life Peers’ and ‘Spiritual Peers’. The Cabinet is usually chosen by the PM from these two houses. But, essentially, the main job between these two houses is to propose, debate and then make laws.
Now, we’ve talked a lot about laws, but how are they passed?
Well, before a law is passed, it is called a ‘bill’, and a proposed bill can be brought forward by any MP (member of parliament) in the House of Commons, which is within the Palace of Westminster in front of us. A bill can also be proposed by a Peer in the House of Lords, although this happens slightly less often. Once a bill is proposed, the bill is presented to that member’s house, and given to all members to review. This is called a first reading. Afterwards, a second reading happens, where MP’s or Peers debate on whether the bill is needed and it’s worth, after which a vote happens. If a bill is voted against, it usually does not go any further in this process. If it is voted for, however, then it proceeds to the Committee Stage, where a committee of ministers taking advice from interest groups and experts outside Parliament analyse every clause (meaning part) of the bill. It can be amended, meaning changed, during this process. After the committee stage, the report stage begins where the entire House meets to consider, review and add to the bill and its new amendments. It then gets sent to the other House for them to approve it. So, if the bill began in the House of Commons it would get sent to the House of Lords for approval and vice versa. Once both the houses approve this new potential law, it is still however missing the third approval (as remember, there are three parts to Parliament) and now needs to be sent to the Crown for royal assent. Nowadays, the monarchy refrains from making political statements, so this is just a formality. The bill would then get all three approvals and becomes a proper law, known as an act.
Most of government is located here, in London, but as the United Kingdom is a sovereign state consisting of 4 independent countries (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), some less far reaching decisions are left to the countries within the United Kingdom. Things like local education, courts and policing are left to the individual and lower local governments of the four. The third, and final branch of government is the Judiciary, and this is mostly devolved (left to) the 4 countries’ jurisdiction. England and Wales are under the same court, Scotland has its own court, and Northern Ireland the same. However, the specifics of devolving judiciary power to the four countries is quite complicated and beyond the scope of this article. This, however, is a short explanation for why the building on our right, the Royal Courts of Justice, houses only the High Court for England and Wales, not Scotland or Northern Ireland.
Here, at the bottom of Fleet Street, ends our tour through the UK’s legal system and London. I hope that this has sparked further interest in law for some of you, and that you’re not too soaked through by the rain! The scenic views through bustling Central London are no less rich and historic than the laws that govern it, and further information about this subject can easily be found online, with very interesting reading materials being listed on Oxbridge as suggested reading lists for students considering a law degree.
