Parliament (United Kingdom)
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| Parliament (United Kingdom) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Parliament of the United Kingdom |
| Legislature | Westminster Parliament |
| Meeting place | Palace of Westminster |
| Established | 1707 (Acts of Union) |
| House type | Bicameral |
| Leader1 type | Monarch |
| Leader1 | King Charles III |
| Leader2 type | Speaker of the House of Commons |
| Leader2 | Sir Lindsay Hoyle |
| Leader3 type | Lord Speaker |
| Leader3 | The Lord McFall of Alcluith |
| House1 | House of Commons |
| House2 | House of Lords |
| Voting system1 | First-past-the-post electoral system |
| Voting system2 | Appointment, hereditary peerages, and bishops |
| Last election1 | United Kingdom general election, 2019 |
| Next election1 | By 28 January 2025 |
Parliament (United Kingdom) is the supreme legislative institution of the United Kingdom, formed by the union of the English and Scottish Parliaments under the Acts of Union 1707 and developed through precedents such as the Magna Carta and the Bill of Rights 1689. Sitting at the Palace of Westminster, it comprises the House of Commons and the House of Lords alongside the Monarch of the United Kingdom. Parliament interacts with a wide set of institutions including the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Cabinet of the United Kingdom, and devolved legislatures such as the Scottish Parliament, Senedd Cymru, and the Northern Ireland Assembly.
History
Parliament evolved from medieval assemblies like the Curia Regis and the Model Parliament summoned by Edward I of England, influenced by events such as the Barons' Wars, the English Civil War, and the Glorious Revolution, which culminated in constitutional settlements including the Act of Settlement 1701 and the Bill of Rights 1689. The 1707 Acts of Union created the Parliament of Great Britain, later altered by the Acts of Union 1800 to form the Parliament of the United Kingdom after union with Ireland. Parliamentary reform was driven by crises and movements represented by figures like Oliver Cromwell, William Pitt the Younger, Benjamin Disraeli, William Gladstone, and reforming statutes including the Reform Act 1832, the Representation of the People Act 1918, and the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949. Twentieth-century changes involved interactions with the European Union, the European Communities Act 1972, and later the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. Devolution in the late 1990s created new relationships with the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales, and Northern Ireland Assembly.
Composition and Structure
Parliament is bicameral, consisting of the elected House of Commons and the appointed and hereditary House of Lords, presided over by the Speaker of the House of Commons and the Lord Speaker. The Commons is composed of Members of Parliament elected from constituencies under the First-past-the-post electoral system; notable leaders have included the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Leader of the Opposition. The Lords includes life peers appointed on advice from the House of Lords Appointments Commission, bishops of the Church of England, and hereditary peers partially retained by the House of Lords Act 1999. The parliamentary estate includes chambers, committees, and facilities in the Palace of Westminster and committee rooms used by cross-party groups and select committees chaired by peers and MPs such as members of the Public Accounts Committee.
Powers and Functions
Parliament legislates, authorises taxation and public expenditure, and provides democratic accountability over the Prime Minister and Cabinet of the United Kingdom. Key constitutional principles derive from precedents like Entick v Carrington and statutes including the Constitutional Reform Act 2005. Parliamentary sovereignty, as articulated by scholars and cases like R (Jackson) v Attorney General, situates Parliament above other domestic institutions, while judicial review by the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and interactions with the European Court of Human Rights and international treaties such as the Treaty of Lisbon influence its operations. Parliament also ratifies declarations of war, oversees foreign policy through questions to the Foreign Secretary (United Kingdom), and authorises military deployments.
Procedures and Sittings
Parliamentary business follows procedures codified in standing orders, traditions such as Prime Minister’s Questions, and ritual events like the State Opening conducted by the Monarch of the United Kingdom using the Commons Speaker's procession and Queen's Speech precedent (now King's Speech). Legislation typically passes through stages: First Reading, Second Reading, Committee Stage, Report Stage, and Third Reading in both Houses; money bills are constrained by the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949. Sittings occur during sessions set by the Royal Prerogative on advice from the Prime Minister, with select committees summoning ministers and civil servants including officials from the Treasury and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Relationship with the Monarchy and Government
The constitutional relationship is rooted in conventions such as responsible government where the Monarch of the United Kingdom acts on ministerial advice; prime ministers like Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair, and Boris Johnson have tested these conventions. The Monarch performs ceremonial functions including prorogation and the State Opening, while executive authority is exercised by the Prime Minister and the Cabinet who must maintain confidence in the Commons as reflected in votes of confidence and supply agreements with parties like the Conservative Party (UK), the Labour Party (UK), and regional parties such as the Scottish National Party and Democratic Unionist Party.
Committees and Scrutiny
Parliamentary scrutiny operates through departmental select committees, cross-party committees, and the Public Accounts Committee, which scrutinise expenditure, administration, and policy of departments such as the Ministry of Defence, Home Office, and Department for Education. The House of Lords performs secondary scrutiny through committees like the Constitution Committee and the Economic Affairs Committee, drawing on witnesses from institutions such as the Bank of England, National Audit Office, and academia represented by figures associated with Oxford University and Cambridge University. Committees produce reports that can prompt ministerial statements, parliamentary debates, and litigation brought before courts including the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.
Electoral and Membership Issues
Electoral law for the House of Commons is governed by statutes including the Representation of the People Act 1983 and the role of the Electoral Commission in boundary reviews and campaign finance regulation. Membership questions include recall petitions under the Recall of MPs Act 2015, disqualification criteria involving offices such as the Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds, and peerage reform debates exemplified by the House of Lords Act 1999 and proposals floated by governments and commissions including the Wakeham Commission. Party discipline, whips, and floor-crossing affect majorities, while by-elections and general elections—such as the United Kingdom general election, 2010 and United Kingdom general election, 2019—determine composition.