“Political system of the UK: the

System of Government”

Tarasova Valeria
04001906
1. The British Parliament A session of Parliament
runs from the State
Opening of Parliament
 Britain is a parliamentary monarchy .  and continues 5 years.
 The British Parliament (Mother of Parliaments) is It runs from one
a bicameral parliament general election to the
 . There is the Sovereign (king or queen) also known as next.
“the crown”.
 The British monarch has all authority, but no
power.

The main functions of Parliament are:  

to pass laws:
 check&challenge the work of the
Government;  
 check&approve Government spending;  
 scrutinize the work of the Government;  
 to debate the major issues of the day.
 General elections in the UK
 the 1st Thursday in May every 5 years (the Prime Minister can
decide on the exact date within those five years.)

 The UK is divided into 650 constituencies, each of which is

represented by one Member of Parliament. 

 Candidate has come out on top in each – wins the

election. This is called ‘first past the post’ (a term from horse
racing, where the winner is who is first past the post)

 The party with the absolute majority of seats (more than 50%)
becomes the new Government.

  The minimum voting age is 18, and the voting is taking by

secret ballot.
 2. Origins of the British Parliament.
The British parliament
 the Anglo-Saxon kings ruled their kingdom with the help of a is respected as the
most ancient
council of elders called the Witan. It was made up of nobles and
parliament in today's
men of the church. They chose the next king , and advised the
world.
sovereign, but had no real power in terms of government;

 1265 - the Simon de Montfort - an Anglo-Norman baron -

convened the first elected parliament of England;

 From the 14th century, Parliament consisted of two chambers,

the House of Lords and the House of Commons ;

 the 17th century - King Charles tried to rule without Parliament.

it ended in failure. The English Parliament was firmly
established as an essential force in the running of the country;
 In 1660 Parliament declared the restoration of the monarchy
and established a system of parliamentary monarchy;
 the signing of the Deed of Rights or Bill of Rights - formally
established the role of parliament and the limits of royal power.

 This was the beginning of the modern parliament, with its

system of political parties;
 During the 19th century, parliamentary power became
increasingly concentrated in the hands of the House of
Commons;
 In 1911, the Parliament formally confirmed the supremacy of
the House of Commons.
 Parliament
.

the House of Lords the House of Commons

3. Houses of Parliament:House of Commons
 It’s the main House
of the British Lawmaking is one of
Parliament in Parliament’s essential functions.
terms of legislative Other main roles are:
power.    examining and challenging
 650 MPs the work of the government,
(Members of  debating and passing all laws,
Parliament)  enabling the Government to
 Each MP raise taxes.
represents one of
The seating arrangements:
constituencies in  Speaker
the UK and is a  The Government benches
member of a  The Opposition benches
political party.  Prime Minister
 Table with 2 wooden dispatch
boxes.
 Mace (жезл)
 When Parliament is sitting (normally lasts for 12
months), MPs generally spend their time working in
the House of Commons. This can include raising
issues affecting their constituents, attending debates
and voting on new laws.

 There are a number of "recesses“ during a session

too, similar to the timetable of school and bank
holidays.

 But if important votes are expected, MPs will be put

on a "three-line whip", meaning they have to be in the
vicinity (поблизости).

 In their constituency (избир. округе), MPs often hold a

'surgery' in their office, where local people can come
along to discuss any matters that concern them.
 The speaker of the house of commons
 is the chief officer and highest authority of the
House of Commons.
 is elected by a secret ballot of MPs at the
beginning of a new Parliament. (has to be
‘dragged to the chair’ by the 2 MPs)
 The roles of the Speaker are:
 controlling debate;
 deciding who can speak (MPs try ‘to catch the Speaker’s
eye’);
 choosing amendments (поправок);
 allowing Urgent Questions or Emergency
Debates;
The current Speaker – Sir  exercising the casting (решающий) vote;
Lindsay Hoyle
 upholding parliamentary rules.
4. Houses of Parliament: House of Lords
The House of Lords is the
second chamber of the Legislation (законодательная) Law (право)
 reading and debating bills  Law Lords sit as the supreme
UK Parliament. It works
which have already passed court of appeal – the highest
with the House of court of law in the country.
Commons to: through the House of
 Anyone who believes they have
 make laws Commons; been the victim of a miscarriage
 check and challenge  can also stop a bill from of justice can take their appeal
the actions of the passing into law. to the Law lords
government, and
 provide a forum of
independent Select Committees
expertise. (специальный комитет)
 sitting on select
committees;
 The Lords then debate the
rights and wrongs of
whatever the subject is and
make a pronouncement on
it.
 has around 800 Members and there are 3 different types:
Members of the House of
 Life Peers -Distinguished men and women. Lords are appointed by the
Their titles cannot be inherited; Queen on the advice of the
Prime Minister. Some non-
 Bishops - As senior members of the Church party-political members are
of England, which is the established church; recommended by an
independent body, the
House of Lords
 Elected hereditary Peers Appointments Commission.
. Unlike MPs, the public do not
elect the Lords
 What are the functions of the Lord Speaker?

 Revising legislation and keepping a check

on government;

 Complementing the work of the House of

Commons, whose members are elected to
represent their constituents;

 Members of the Lords are not elected and

are unpaid;

 They have a wide range of experience and

provide a source of independent expertise
 5. The Supreme Court of the UK.

 The Supreme Court in the UK is the country's highest

court.
 The judicial function of Parliament transferred to the
Supreme Court from 1 October 2009
 The UK's Supreme Court has 12 justices (they aren’t
members of Lords). It’s led by the president of the
court, who is currently Baroness Hale of Richmond.
 Justices are appointed by the President and are
confirmed by the Senate. They, typically, hold office
for life.
Important role of The Supreme Court:

 it is the court of last resort for those looking for

justice;

 ensuring that each branch of government

recognizes the limits of its own power;

 it protects civil rights and liberties by striking

down laws that violate the Constitution.
6. Government of the UK. The Role of the Prime Minister

The Prime Minister is the leader of Her Majesty’s

Government and is ultimately responsible for the policy and
decisions of the government.

The most important ministers are called Secretaries of

State and they form the Cabinet.

As leader of the UK government the Prime Minister also:

 oversees the operation of the Civil Service and

government agencies
 chooses members of the government
 is the principal government figure in the House of Boris Johns
Commons on
 the Prime Minister heads the Government and appoints
Ministers, who head individual Government
departments.
 There are 2 main
7. Law-making process types of Bills –
 Public Bills
(which deal with
matters of public
importance)
 Private (which
deal with local
matters and
individuals).
Writing a bill is called drafting.
Next, the person(s) bringing the
bill can formally tell everyone
that they are going to start the
process of making the bill into a
law.
When someone announces this
in the Houses of Parliament, it is
called a first reading.
The Queen gives royal assent to the
bill. The bill will then become an Act
of Parliament.
It doesn’t necessarily become law
straight away. Some acts come in to
force after a set period of time.
This is to allow people to change
their behaviour, so they don’t break
the new law.
.
Committee Stage
At the second reading, A committee is a group of
the bill is explained. After members of either House that
the bill has been looks at the detail of a bill and
explained and talked suggests changes. If there are
about, there is a vote amendments, they must be
(must receive over half of voted for by both Houses
the votes).
Report Stage
The committee explains
Moving through the any amendments that
House of Lords. If the have been suggested
House of Lords votes
against a bill that the
Commons wants, it can The third reading is
be delayed for a year, but the point when
the Lords cannot another vote is taken
permanently block a bill. on the bill.
 8. The Annual State Opening of the British Parliament.

 The State Opening of Parliament marks the formal It is the only regular
occasion when the
start of the parliamentary year and the Queen's
three constituent parts
Speech sets out the government's agenda for the of Parliament – the
coming session, outlining proposed policies and Sovereign, the House of
Lords and the House of
legislation.
Commons – meet.

 State Opening happens on the first day of a new

parliamentary session or shortly after a general
election.

 It begins with the Queen's procession from

Buckingham Palace to Westminster, escorted by the
Household Cavalry.
 8. The Annual State Opening of the British Parliament.

 The Queen arrives at Sovereign's Entrance and

proceeds to the Robing Room. Wearing the Imperial The Queen's Speech is
delivered by the Queen
State Crown and the Robe of State, she leads the from the Throne in the
Royal Procession through the Royal Gallery. House of LordsIt contains
an outline of its policies
and proposed legislation
 The House of Lords official, 'Black Rod' is sent to for the new parliamentary
summon the Commons. The doors to the Commons session.
chamber are shut in his face. It strikes the door 3
times before it is opened.

 Members of the House of Commons then follow Black

Rod to the Lords chamber to listen to the speech.
 A royal palace
9. Westminster Palace and traditions in the Parliament was said to have
(with additional information) existed at the site
under the Danish
king of England
 It is the seat of the bicameral Parliament, including Canute.
the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
 It is located on the left bank of the River Thames in
the borough of Westminster, London. Westminster Palace is
 The building was designed by architect Charles Barry richly decorated with
statues of famous
and built in the 1840s, replacing an earlier building politicians of the past.
destroyed by fire. The complex of buildings covers 8
acres and has over 1,100 rooms.
The 336-footVictoria Tower is the largest Through its archway the monarch enters for
and tallest square tower in the world. the State Opening of Parliament each
November.
The Clock Tower is one of the best known landmarks in the world. It
is 320 ft high and is popularly called Big Ben. It is the name of the Some people believe that the
biggest of the 5 bells, the proper name - St. Stephen's Tower. tower got its name from
Benjamin Caunt, a famous
boxer. Others think that it was
from Sir Benjamin Hall, an
enormous Welshman who
worked at the Palace when the
clock was being built.
 Some facts about the Palace of Westminster.
 No animals are allowed into the Palace of
Westminster, other than seeing eye dogs.
However, the huge building is said to be
overrun with mice.
The Royal Gallery is one of the
largest rooms. It is used for
important dinners, receptions
and ceremonies. In the past, it
was used for trials.

 The Hall of Westminster is the oldest

surviving part of the original building and has
the largest Medieval roof in England. At one
time, Britain’s kings and queens lived here.

 The building contains over 100 staircases and

3 miles of corridor. It has its own gymnasium,
shooting range and hair salon.
The Lord’s Chamber where the House of Lords meets is the
palace’s most lavishly decorated room. However, the Lord
Speaker sits on a large sack of wool, representing Britain’s wool
trade.
Traditions of Parliament
the difference between the colours which are used
in the Lords and Commons parts of the building:
 Green is the principal colour for furnishing and
fabrics throughout the House of Commons
 In the House of Lords, red is similarly employed
in upholstery, hansard, notepaper etc. This
colour most likely stems from the use by
monarchs of red as a royal colour.
When a new Speaker of the House
of Commons is elected, the
successful candidate is physically
dragged to the Chair by other
MPs.
Each sitting in both Houses
begins with prayers that follow
the Christian faith.
 In the Commons the usually
read Speaker's Chaplain s
the prayers.
 In the Lords - a senior
bishop (Lord Spiritual)
The Lord Speaker on the Woolsack
The Woolsack is the seat of the Lord
Speaker in the House of Lords
Chamber. The Woolsack is a large,
wool-stuffed cushion or seat covered
with red cloth.
Catching the Speaker's eye
To participate in a debate in
the House of Commons or at
question time, MPs have to be
called by the Speaker. MPs
usually rise or half-rise from
their seats in a bid to get the
Speaker's attention - this is
known as 'catching the
Speaker's eye'.