Political System of United Kingdom

The Political System of The United Kingdom

United Kingdom is today, and has been for some time, one of the world’s major powers. It was a superpower and a colonial empire. United Kingdom is made up of four nations- England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The UK is a parliamentary democracy. It operates within a constitutional monarchy. The Monarch is the head of State, the Prime Minister is the political leader of the United Kingdom and leads the government. The government is made up of the House of Commons and the House of Lords and headed by the Prime Minister.

History of Political System of the United Kingdom:

The political system in the United Kingdom is one of a kind. It has traditionally been a parliamentary democracy, with procedures dating back to the middle ages.

Constitution:

The British constitution is an unwritten constitution which has never been made and codified in the form of a book. No constituent assembly has made it. Though it is not fully unwritten, some of its very important parts like the magna carta, the petition of right, the bill of rights and other statutes of the British Parliament which relate to the constitutional system are available in written form. The British constitution is a mixed constitution which incorporates monarchy, aristocracy and democracy.

Unitary government:

In UK, all powers are in the hands of the single central government. The laws made by the British Parliament apply to all the people and places. There are several well and systematically organised local governments which exercise civic powers in the local areas. They enjoy an amount of autonomy within the parameters prescribed by the central government.

Hereditary and constitutional monarchy:

Hereditary monarchy in England has got transferred into a limited and constitutional monarchy and made itself a part of the liberal democratic political system of UK. The monarch acts upon the advice of the ministers. The Parliament is the sovereign law-making body, but it passes all acts in the name of the monarch. Since 1952, Queen Elizabeth II has been the head of the state and after her the throne is to go to the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles.

Parliamentary government:

The British Parliament is sovereign. Laws passed by the Parliament can’t be rejected by the monarch. There is a close relationship between the executive and the Parliament as the ministers are essentially members of the Parliament. The ministry remains in office as long as it enjoys the confidence of the majority in the House of Commons. The Cabinet can get the Parliament dissolved and seek a fresh mandate from the people.

House of Commons:

House of Commons is also called as lower house in the parliament. The UK is divided

into parliamentary constituencies of broadly equal population (decided by the Boundary Commission), each of which elects a Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons.

House of Lords:

House of Lords is the upper house of the parliament of the United Kingdom. The House of Lords was previously a hereditary, aristocratic chamber. Major reform has been partially completed and it is currently a mixture of hereditary members, bishops of the Church of England known as Lords Spiritual and appointed members (life peers, with

no hereditary right for their descendants to sit in the House).British Parliament continue to enjoy importance over the laws of these legislatures.

Executive:

The Government performs the Executive functions of the United Kingdom. The monarch appoints a Prime Minister, 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 the House

Legislative:

In the United Kingdom, parliament is the centre of the political system. Parliament is and bicameral with an upper house , House of Lords and a lower house, House of Commons.

Judiciary:

Each of the separate legal systems in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland has their own judiciary. In the united Kingdom, the Lord Chancellor was the head of the judiciary. On behalf of the Sovereign he appoints judges and magistrates for criminal courts.

Liberal democratic political system:

Political parties in UK directly and freely participate in the struggle for power. All citizens above 18 years have the right to vote and all citizens above 21 years have the right to contest elections. The right to vote, contest elections, criticise the government, free expression of public opinion, the right to form and work political associations are its major characteristics.

Highest court of appeal:

The House of Lords enjoys an unique status of Supreme Court in the British constitution. Lord Chancellor presides over the meetings of the House of Lords. He is a member of the Cabinet and holds a position like that of the chief justice of a Supreme Court. The nine law lords decide all cases which come as appeals and their decisions are held to be final which can not be challenged.

Bi-party system:

Since the 1920s, British political system has been dominated by two major political parties - the Conservative Party and the Labour Party. The existence of a well organised bi-party system has played an important role in the successful operation of the British Parliamentary democracy.

Organised opposition:

After the elections, the leader of the majority party becomes the Prime Minister and organises his ministry with elected representatives from his party. The leader of the minority party or opposition gets a constitutional recognition, an office and a salary and organises Shadow Cabinet. The Shadow Cabinet takes up the role of criticizing the policies and activities of the cabinet.

Conventions:

Conventions regulate the working of all the offices and the institutions of the constitution. These are rules of political morality which are followed by all as rules of law. These are backed by public opinion and their utility.

Rule of Law:

The concept of the Rule of Law stands for the absence of wide discretionary and arbitrary powers, predominance of regular law, equality before law and equal protection of rights for all. It states that people are free to do whatever they like so long as they do not break any law.

Political system plays the vital role in maintaining the sovereignty of a country. As the UK holds unwritten constitution so it creates diversity in world political system. New challenges and learnings creates from it. The government's aim is to provide the best outcome for the country through convenient political system.

Karim Al Shafin

Student, Karim Uddin Public Pilot High School