Political system of the United Kingdom Introduction The United Kingdom is governed within the famework of a constitutional , in which

the Monarch is the head of state &the Prime minister is the head of government Executive power is exercised by Her Majestys Government, on behalf of and by the consent of the Monarch, as well as by the devolved governments of Scotland and Wales, and the Executive of Northern Ireland. Legislative power is vested in the two chambers of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the House of Commons and the House of Lords as well as in the Scottish parliament and Welsh and Northern Ireland assemblies. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The highest national court is the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. The parties The UK political system is a multi-party system. Since the 1920s, the two largest political parties have been the Conservative Party & the Labour Party. Before the Labour Party rose in British politics the Liberal Party was the other major political party along with the Conservatives. Parts of the UK Government Executive power in the United Kingdom is exercised by the Sovereign, Queen Elizabeth II, via Her Majestys Government and the devolved national authorities the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Northern Ireland Executive. Legislature. The UK Parliament is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom(i.e., there is parliamentary sovereignty), and Government is drawn from and answerable to it. Parliament is bicameral, consisting of the House of Commos and the House of Lords. There is also a devolved Scottish Parliament and devolved Assemblies in Wales and Northern Ireland, with varying degrees of legislative authority. Judiciary. Today the UK has three distinct systems of law: English law, Northern Ireland law and Scots law. Recent constitutional change saw a new Supreme Court of the United Kingdom come into being in October 2009 that took on the appeal functions of the Appellate Committe of the House of Lords.

The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, comprising the same members as the Supreme Court, is the highest court of appeal for several independent Commonwealth countries, the UK overseas territories, and the British crown dependencies. Scottish Government The Scottish government is led by the Frist Minister, assisted by varions Minister with individual portofolios and remits. The Scottish Parliament nominates a Member to be appointed as First Minister by the Queen. The First Minister then appoints his Ministers( now know as Cabinet Secretaries) and junior Ministers, subject to approval by the Parliament. The First Minister, the Ministers(but not junior ministers), the Lord Advocate and Solicitor, General are the Members of the,, Scottish Executive as set out in the Scotland Act 1998. The are collectively know as ,, the Scottish Ministers. Welsh Government The Welsh Government is the executive branch of the devolved government in Wales. It is accountable to the National Assembly for Wales, the legislature which represents the interest of the Welsh people and makers laws for Wales. The National Assembly was created by the Government of Wales Act 1998. The Welsh Government consists of the First Minister, usually the leader of the largest party in the National Assembly for Wales: up to twelve ministers and deputy ministers, appointed by the First Minister; and a Counsel General, nominated by the First Minister and approved by the National Assembly.