UK Parliament

UK Parliament
Mайкл Гиммельфарб (Mike Gimelfarb) · Public domain · source
Name	UK Parliament
Legislature	Parliament of the United Kingdom
Meeting place	Palace of Westminster, City of Westminster, London
Established	1707 (Acts of Union)
Preceding	Parliament of England; Parliament of Scotland

UK Parliament

The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative assembly for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, sitting at the Palace of Westminster in the City of Westminster, London. It comprises two houses—the elected House of Commons and the appointed House of Lords—and retains historic connections with the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and devolved legislatures such as the Scottish Parliament, Senedd Cymru, and Northern Ireland Assembly. The institution traces roots to medieval assemblies including the Magna Carta and evolves through landmark statutes like the Acts of Union 1707 and the Reform Acts.

Overview

Parliament operates within a constitutional arrangement influenced by documents and bodies such as the Magna Carta, Bill of Rights 1689, Act of Settlement 1701, the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, and conventions exemplified by figures like William Pitt the Younger and Sir Robert Walpole. The Commons elects Members of Parliament at general elections governed by the Representation of the People Act 1918 and subsequent amendments, while the Lords contains life peers appointed under mechanisms including the Life Peerages Act 1958, bishops of the Church of England, and hereditary peers retained after the House of Lords Act 1999. Key institutions interacting with Parliament include the Electoral Commission, the Cabinet Office (United Kingdom), the National Audit Office, and select bodies such as the Public Accounts Committee and the Committee of Privileges.

History

Parliament’s lineage includes assemblies like the Witan, the Curia Regis, and medieval parliaments under monarchs such as Henry II and Edward I. Developments across centuries involved the English Civil War, the trial of Charles I of England, the Glorious Revolution, and the settlement under William III of England and Mary II of England culminating in the Bill of Rights 1689. The union of 1707 merged Parliament of England and Parliament of Scotland into the Parliament of Great Britain, later united with Ireland by the Acts of Union 1800 to form the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Twentieth-century reforms including the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949, the Life Peerages Act 1958, and the House of Lords Act 1999 reshaped powers and composition, while devolution in the late 1990s created the Scottish Parliament' and Northern Ireland Assembly alongside the Government of Wales Act 1998 creating Senedd Cymru.

Structure and powers

Parliament consists of the House of Commons, the House of Lords, and the Crown in Parliament. The Commons meets in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom chamber; the Lords meets in the House of Lords chamber dominated by the Lord Speaker and committees such as the House of Lords European Union Committee (historical) and the House of Lords Constitution Committee. Powers derive from statute and convention, constrained by the Human Rights Act 1998 and judicial review by the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. Executive authority is exercised by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Cabinet of the United Kingdom, whose members are drawn from Parliament and answer to select committees including the Foreign Affairs Select Committee and the Treasury Select Committee; fiscal powers are central to the Commons following the Parliament Act 1911 shift of financial primacy.

Legislative process

Bills originate as public bills, private members' bills, or government bills and proceed through stages: first reading, second reading, committee stage, report stage, and third reading in each house, with potential consideration by a Conference Committee and royal assent by the Monarch of the United Kingdom. Notable legislative instruments and procedures include the Public Bill Committee, Standing Orders of the House of Commons, Statutory Instruments, and procedures for West Lothian question-related legislation affecting devolution. Emergency and delegated legislation can be enacted under frameworks such as the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and subject to parliamentary scrutiny by the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee.

Relationship with the Crown and government

The Crown in Parliament denotes the constitutional fusion of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom with parliamentary authority; royal prerogatives remain exercised by ministers, constrained by conventions set out since the Treasons Act 1351 and clarified by reforms like the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. The Prime Minister, leader of the largest Commons party, is appointed by the monarch and chairs the Cabinet including secretaries such as the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Foreign Secretary (United Kingdom). Confidence conventions, exemplified during events like the Norwegian proposal (historical debates) and the The Maastricht Rebellion, determine government survival; mechanisms such as a vote of no confidence and the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 (since repealed) have influenced this dynamic.

Members and elections

Members of the Commons are elected from single-member constituencies using first-past-the-post at general elections administered by the Electoral Commission; notable elections include those of 1945, 1979, 1997, 2010, 2015, 2017, 2019. Franchise expansions followed the Representation of the People Act 1918 and the Representation of the People Act 1969. The Lords contains life peers, bishops such as the Lord Spiritual, and remaining hereditary peers elected under arrangements spearheaded by figures like Tony Blair during the 1999 reform. Prominent parliamentarians historically include Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair, Harold Wilson, David Lloyd George, Benjamin Disraeli, William Ewart Gladstone, Aneurin Bevan, and recent figures like Boris Johnson and Theresa May.

Parliamentary buildings and administration

Parliament sits primarily at the Palace of Westminster, a complex rebuilt after the Palace of Westminster fire of 1834 to designs by Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin, with iconic features such as Elizabeth Tower (housing Big Ben). Ancillary facilities include Parliamentary Archives, the Victoria Tower, and committee rooms in the House of Commons Library and the Portcullis House. Administration is overseen by officers including the Clerk of the House of Commons, the Serjeant at Arms, the Lord Great Chamberlain, and the Black Rod, supported by bodies like the House of Commons Service and the House of Lords Administration. Security and restoration projects have involved partnerships with agencies such as Historic England and the National Audit Office to address issues raised by the Parliamentary Works Sponsor Body and major programmes such as the ongoing restoration and renewal of parliamentary estate.

Category:Parliaments