Government of the United Kingdom

Last updated

His Majesty's Government
Welsh: Llywodraeth ei Fawrhydi
Irish: Rialtas a Shoilse
Scottish Gaelic: Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd
HM Government logo new arms 2024.svg Coat of arms of the United Kingdom (2022, lesser arms).svg
HM Government's logo and wordmark (top), and the Royal Arms used since October 2024 (bottom) [1]
Overview
StateFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Leader Prime Minister (Keir Starmer)
Appointed by Monarch of the United Kingdom (Charles III) on the advice of the prime minister
Main organ Cabinet of the United Kingdom
Ministries23 ministerial departments, 20 non-ministerial departments
Responsible to Parliament of the United Kingdom
Annual budget£1,189 billion
Headquarters 10 Downing Street, London
Website gov.uk OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

The government of the United Kingdom, officially His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government, is the central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. [2] [3] The government is led by the prime minister (currently Keir Starmer since 5 July 2024) who selects all the other ministers. The country has had a Labour government since 2024. The prime minister Keir Starmer and his most senior ministers belong to the supreme decision-making committee, known as the Cabinet. [3]

Contents

Ministers of the Crown are responsible to the House in which they sit; they make statements in that House and take questions from members of that House. For most senior ministers this is usually the elected House of Commons rather than the House of Lords. The government is dependent on Parliament to make primary legislation, [4] and general elections are held every five years (at most) to elect a new House of Commons, unless the prime minister advises the monarch to dissolve Parliament, in which case an election may be held sooner. After an election, the monarch selects as prime minister the leader of the party most likely to command the confidence of the House of Commons, usually by possessing a majority of MPs. [5]

Under the uncodified British constitution, executive authority lies with the sovereign, although this authority is exercised only after receiving the advice of the Privy Council. [6] The prime minister, the House of Lords, the Leader of the Opposition, and the police and military high command serve as members and advisers of the monarch on the Privy Council. In most cases the cabinet exercise power directly as leaders of the government departments, though some Cabinet positions are sinecures to a greater or lesser degree (for instance Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster or Lord Privy Seal).

The government is sometimes referred to by the metonym "Westminster" or "Whitehall", as many of its offices are situated there. These metonyms are used especially by members of the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive to differentiate their government from His Majesty's Government.

History

The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy in which the reigning monarch (that is, the king or queen who is the head of state at any given time) does not make any open political decisions. All political decisions are taken by the government and Parliament. This constitutional state of affairs is the result of a long history of constraining and reducing the political power of the monarch, beginning with Magna Carta in 1215.

Since the start of Edward VII's reign in 1901, by convention, the prime minister has been an elected member of Parliament (MP) and thus answerable to the House of Commons, although there were two weeks in 1963 when Alec Douglas-Home was first a member of the House of Lords and then of neither house. A similar convention applies to the position of chancellor of the exchequer. The last chancellor of the exchequer to be a member of the House of Lords was Lord Denman, who served for one month in 1834. [7]

His Majesty's Government and the Crown

The British monarch is the head of state and the sovereign, but not the head of government. The monarch takes little direct part in governing the country and remains neutral in political affairs. However, the authority of the state that is vested in the sovereign, known as the Crown, remains the source of executive power exercised by the government.

In addition to explicit statutory authority, the Crown also possesses a body of powers in certain matters collectively known as the royal prerogative. These powers range from the authority to issue or withdraw passports to declarations of war. By long-standing convention, most of these powers are delegated from the sovereign to various ministers or other officers of the Crown, who may use them without having to obtain the consent of Parliament.

The prime minister also has weekly meetings with the monarch. What is said in these meetings is strictly private; however, they generally involve government and political matters which the monarch has a "right and a duty" to comment on. [8] Such comments are non-binding however and the King must ultimately abide by decisions of the government. [9]

Royal prerogative powers include, but are not limited to, the following:

Domestic powers

HM Government wordmark (placed top-left in this example) 2016 EU Referendum HM Government Pamphlet.jpeg
HM Government wordmark (placed top-left in this example)

Foreign powers

UK Government Overseas logo. UK Government Overseas Logo.svg
UK Government Overseas logo.

While no formal documents set out the prerogatives, the government published the above list in October 2003 to increase transparency, as some of the powers exercised in the name of the monarch are part of the royal prerogative. [11] However, the complete extent of the royal prerogative powers has never been fully set out, as many of them originated in ancient custom and the period of absolute monarchy, or were modified by later constitutional practice.

Ministers and departments

Foreign Office, London Open House, Foreign Office, London-6159194985.jpg
Foreign Office, London

As of 2019, there are around 120 government ministers [12] supported by 560,000 [13] civil servants and other staff working in the 25 ministerial departments [14] and their executive agencies. There are also an additional 20 non-ministerial departments with a range of further responsibilities.

In theory, a government minister does not have to be a member of either House of Parliament. In practice, however, the convention is that ministers must be members of either the House of Commons or the House of Lords to be accountable to Parliament. From time to time, prime ministers appoint non-parliamentarians as ministers. In recent years such ministers have been appointed to the House of Lords. [15]

Government in Parliament

The government is required by convention and for practical reasons to maintain the confidence of the House of Commons. It requires the support of the House of Commons for the maintenance of supply (by voting through the government's budgets) and to pass primary legislation. By convention, if a government loses the confidence of the House of Commons it must either resign or a general election is held. The support of the Lords, while useful to the government in getting its legislation passed without delay, is not vital. A government is not required to resign even if it loses the confidence of the Lords and is defeated in key votes in that House. The House of Commons is thus the responsible house.

The prime minister is held to account during Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) which provides an opportunity for MPs from all parties to question the PM on any subject. There are also departmental questions when ministers answer questions relating to their specific departmental brief. Unlike PMQs, both the cabinet ministers for the department and junior ministers within the department may answer on behalf of the government, depending on the topic of the question.

During debates on legislation proposed by the government, ministers—usually with departmental responsibility for the bill—will lead the debate for the government and respond to points made by MPs or Lords.

Committees [16] of both the House of Commons and House of Lords hold the government to account, scrutinise its work and examine in detail proposals for legislation. Ministers appear before committees to give evidence and answer questions.

Government ministers are also required by convention and the Ministerial Code, [17] when Parliament is sitting, to make major statements regarding government policy or issues of national importance to Parliament. This allows MPs or Lords to question the government on the statement. When the government instead chooses to make announcements first outside Parliament, it is often the subject of significant criticism from MPs and the speaker of the House of Commons. [18]

Location

The main entrance of 10 Downing Street, the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury, who is by law nowadays also the prime minister Larry the cat outside 10 Downing St.jpg
The main entrance of 10 Downing Street, the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury, who is by law nowadays also the prime minister

The prime minister is based at 10 Downing Street in Westminster, London. Cabinet meetings also take place here. Most government departments have their headquarters nearby in Whitehall.

Limits of government power

The government's powers include general executive and statutory powers, delegated legislation, and numerous powers of appointment and patronage. However, some powerful officials and bodies, (e.g. HM judges, local authorities, and the charity commissions) are legally more or less independent of the government, and government powers are legally limited to those retained by the Crown under common law or granted and limited by act of Parliament. Both substantive and procedural limitations are enforceable in the courts by judicial review.

Nevertheless, magistrates and mayors can still be arrested and put on trial for corruption, and the government has powers to insert commissioners into a local authority to oversee its work, and to issue directives that must be obeyed by the local authority if the local authority is not abiding by its statutory obligations. [19]

By contrast, as in European Union (EU) member states, EU officials cannot be prosecuted for any actions carried out in pursuit of their official duties, and foreign country diplomats (though not their employees) and foreign members of the European Parliament [20] are immune from prosecution in EU states under any circumstance. As a consequence, neither EU bodies nor diplomats have to pay taxes, since it would not be possible to prosecute them for tax evasion. When the UK was a member of the EU, this caused a dispute when the US ambassador to the UK claimed that London's congestion charge was a tax, and not a charge (despite the name), and therefore he did not have to pay it—a claim the Greater London Authority disputed.

Similarly, the monarch is immune from criminal prosecution and may only be sued with his permission (this is known as sovereign immunity). The sovereign, by law, is not required to pay income tax, but Queen Elizabeth II voluntarily paid it from 1993 until the end of her reign in 2022, and also paid local rates voluntarily. However, the monarchy also received a substantial grant from the government, the Sovereign Support Grant, and Queen Elizabeth II's inheritance from her mother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, was exempt from inheritance tax.

In addition to legislative powers, His Majesty's Government has substantial influence over local authorities and other bodies set up by it, through financial powers and grants. Many functions carried out by local authorities, such as paying out housing benefits and council tax benefits, are funded or substantially part-funded by the central government.

Neither the central government nor local authorities are permitted to sue anyone for defamation. Individual politicians are allowed to sue people for defamation in a personal capacity and without using government funds, but this is relatively rare (although George Galloway, who was a backbench MP for a quarter of a century, has sued or threatened to sue for defamation several times). However, it is a criminal offence to make a false statement about any election candidate during an election, to reduce the number of votes they receive (as with libel, opinions do not count).

Terminology

While the government is the current group of ministers (the British Government frontbench), the government is also sometimes seen more broadly as including people or organisations that work for the ministers. The civil service, while 'independent of government', [21] is sometimes described as being part of the government, [22] [23] [24] [25] due to the closeness of its working with ministers, in advising them, supporting them, and implementing their executive decisions. Some individuals who work for ministers even have the word 'Government' in their titles, such as the Government Actuary and the Government Chief Scientific Adviser, as do civil service organisations such as the Government Statistical Service, the Government Legal Profession, and the Government Office for Science. Companies owned by the government can also be seen as parts of the government, such as UK Government Investments [26] and HS2 Ltd. [27]

Similarly, Parliamentary Private Secretaries are not ministers and so not part of the government. [28] However, they are bound by parts of the ministerial code, are part of the payroll vote, and can be seen as being on the 'first rung of the ministerial ladder'. [29] [30] They are sometimes described as being part of the government. [31] [32] [33]

Symbols

The lesser arms used during different reigns
Coat of arms of the United Kingdom (2022, lesser arms).svg
Lesser arms used since 2024
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government) (St Edwards Crown).svg
Lesser arms used during the reign of Elizabeth II
Coat of arms of the United Kingdom (1924-1952, lesser arms).svg
Lesser arms created for George V in 1924
Coat of arms of the United Kingdom (1901, lesser arms).svg
Lesser arms used from 1901 to 1910 during the reign of Edward VII

The UK Government uses a simplified form of the Royal Arms as a logo called the lesser arms. It typically omits the helm and mantling, reduces the crest to the crown alone, and has no compartment. [34] Although the blazon of the arms has not changed since 1837, a new depiction of the Royal Arms is created for each new reign. [34]

Use of the Royal Arms by government departments and agencies is governed by the Cabinet Office. [35] The Royal Arms feature on all Acts of Parliament, in the logos of government departments, on the cover of all UK passports (and passports issued in other British territories and dependencies), as an inescutcheon on the diplomatic flags of British Ambassadors, and on The London Gazette . It is also used in the British Overseas Territories, namely on all acts of the Anguilla House of Assembly and by the administrations of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, the Pitcairn Islands, and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

Some departments use a different symbol as their logo historic reasons, including the Scotland Office, Home Office, Ministry of Defence and Department for Business and Trade. [35]

Devolved governments

Since 1999, certain areas of central government have been devolved to accountable governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. These are not part of His Majesty's Government, and are directly accountable to their institutions, with their authority under the Crown; in contrast, there is no devolved government for England.

Local government

Refurbishment notice at Old Fire Station, Oxford, showing government support Old Fire Station Oxford 1.jpg
Refurbishment notice at Old Fire Station, Oxford, showing government support

Up to three layers of elected local authorities (such as county, district and parish Councils) exist throughout all parts of the United Kingdom, in some places merged into unitary authorities. They have limited local tax-raising powers. Many other authorities and agencies also have statutory powers, generally subject to some central government supervision.

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "New Coat of Arms". Government Communication Service. UK Government. 10 October 2024. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
  2. ↑ His Majesty's Government Archived 17 November 2019 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 28 June 2010
  3. 1 2 Overview of the UK system of government : Directgov – Government, citizens and rights. Archived direct.gov.uk webpage. Retrieved on 29 August 2014.
  4. ↑ "Legislation". UK Parliament. 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  5. ↑ House of Commons – Justice Committee – Written Evidence Archived 1 December 2020 at the Wayback Machine . Publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved on 19 October 2010.
  6. ↑ The monarchy : Directgov – Government, citizens and rights. Archived direct.gov.uk webpage. Retrieved on 29 August 2014.
  7. ↑ The Parliament Acts – UK Parliament Archived 5 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine . Parliament.uk (21 April 2010). Retrieved on 12 October 2011.
  8. ↑ "Queen and Prime Minister". The British Monarchy. 2013. Archived from the original on 14 April 2010. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  9. ↑ "The Queen and Boris Johnson: Why do the monarch and PM meet every week?". BBC Newsround. 24 June 2021.
  10. ↑ "The Cabinet Manual: A guide to laws, conventions and rules on the operation of government" (PDF). UK Government. October 2011. p. 14.
  11. ↑ Mystery lifted on Queen's powers | Politics Archived 4 December 2020 at the Wayback Machine . The Guardian. Retrieved on 12 October 2011.
  12. ↑ Maer, Lucinda; Kelly, Richard (31 March 2021). "Limitations on the number of Ministers". Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021– via commonslibrary.parliament.uk.
  13. ↑ Civil Service Statistics Archived 10 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine . civilservant.org.uk. September 2011
  14. ↑ LIST OF MINISTERIAL RESPONSIBILITIES Including Executive Agencies and NonMinisterial Departments. Cabinet Office 2009
  15. ↑ Maer, Lucinda (4 September 2017). "Ministers in the House of Lords".
  16. ↑ Committees – UK Parliament Archived 7 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine . Parliament.uk (21 April 2010). Retrieved on 12 October 2011.
  17. ↑ Ministerial Code. Cabinet Office 2010
  18. ↑ "Speakers' statements on ministerial policy announcements made outside the House" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 29 November 2010.. Parliamentary Information List. Department of Information Services. www.parliament.uk. 16 July 2010
  19. ↑ "Secretary of State sends in commissioners to Tower Hamlets". Gov.uk . 17 December 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
  20. ↑ "The Immunity of Members of the European Parliament" (PDF). European Union. October 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
  21. ↑ "Civil Service: About us". GOV.UK. Retrieved 26 October 2021. We're politically impartial and independent of government
  22. ↑ The Comptroller and Auditor General (5 June 2015). Central government staff costs (Report). National Audit Office. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  23. ↑ "Civil service". Encyclopedia Britannica . Retrieved 29 October 2021. civil service, the body of government officials...
  24. ↑ "UK government action to reduce the HGV driver shortage". GOV.UK. Retrieved 23 October 2021. The government... have sent nearly one million letters to thank HGV drivers
  25. ↑ "HMG personnel security controls". GOV.UK. 1 April 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  26. ↑ "What we do". UKGI.ORG.UK. Retrieved 27 October 2021. UKGI's purpose is to be the government's centre of excellence in corporate governance and corporate finance
  27. ↑ "Government provides construction sector certainty by confirming 'Notice to proceed' on High Speed 2". GOV.UK. 15 April 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2021. HS2 Ltd today marks the next step for the project, issuing a 'Notice to proceed' on Britain's new railway.
  28. ↑ S Priddy (22 October 2021). Parliamentary Private Secretaries to Prime Ministers since 1906 (Report). House of Commons Library. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2021. Parliamentary Private Secretaries (PPSs) are not members of the Government although they do have responsibilities and restrictions as defined by the Ministerial Code
  29. ↑ "Back to the future: PPS role for mid Wales MP". BBC News. 6 September 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2021. Montgomeryshire Tory MP Glyn Davies is about to put his foot on the first rung of the ministerial ladder, rejoining the government as a parliamentary private secretary.
  30. ↑ "The female power base that helped Theresa May win her day". Financial Times. 18 September 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2021. A handful of other alumni who won their seats in 2015, including Victoria Atkins, Lucy Frazer and Victoria Prentis have just set foot on the first rung of the ministerial ladder, being appointed this week as parliamentary private secretaries.
  31. ↑ "Tory MP Caroline Ansell resigns from government over free school meals rebellion". SKY NEWS. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2021. A Tory MP has quit her junior government role... Caroline Ansell resigned as a parliamentary private secretary to the environment secretary
  32. ↑ "Six MPs could quit Government in Covid restrictions rebellion" . Daily Telegraph. 10 December 2021. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2021. As many as six MPs could quit as members of the Government next week... The Telegraph has learned that at least six parliamentary private secretaries are preparing to defy Boris Johnson and vote against elements of his "Plan B" restrictions
  33. ↑ "Chris Green quits as junior government member over Bolton local lockdown". LBC NEWS. 13 October 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2021. A junior government member has resigned over the local lockdown in Bolton... Bolton West Conservative MP Chris Green has stepped down as a parliamentary private secretary (PPS)
  34. 1 2 "New Coat of Arms artwork unveiled". Cabinet Office. UK Government. 10 October 2024. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
  35. 1 2 "HM Government Identity Guidelines 2022" (PDF). Civil Service . February 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
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