United Kingdom Parliament
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| United Kingdom Parliament | |
|---|---|
 Mайкл Гиммельфарб (Mike Gimelfarb) · Public domain · source | |
| Name | Parliament of the United Kingdom |
| Legislature | Parliament |
| House type | Bicameral legislature |
| Established | Magna Carta* / Model Parliament of 1295 |
| Leader1 type | Monarch |
| Leader1 | Charles III |
| Leader2 type | Prime Minister |
| Leader2 | Rishi Sunak |
| Leader3 type | Speaker of the House of Commons |
| Leader3 | Sir Lindsay Hoyle |
| Leader4 type | Lord Speaker |
| Leader4 | The Lord McFall of Alcluith |
| Members | 1,683 (House of Commons 650; House of Lords variable) |
| Meeting place | Palace of Westminster |
United Kingdom Parliament is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom and a central institution in British constitutional arrangements. It comprises two chambers—the elected House of Commons and the appointed House of Lords—and operates within a constitutional framework shaped by statutes, conventions and judicial decisions such as those involving the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and landmark statutes like the Bill of Rights 1689. The Parliament interacts with key offices and institutions including 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.
History
Parliament’s origins trace to assemblies such as the advisory councils under the Anglo-Saxon kings and the royal councils of the Norman conquest era; later milestones include the Magna Carta of 1215 and the summoning of the Model Parliament by Edward I. The development of bicameralism emerged as the peerage and clergy coalesced into an upper chamber while knights and burgesses evolved into a Commons, a process visible during the English Civil War and settlement at the Glorious Revolution culminating in constitutional changes like the Act of Settlement 1701. Union Acts—Acts of Union 1707 and Acts of Union 1800—integrated the Kingdom of Scotland and Kingdom of Ireland into broader parliamentary jurisdiction, later altered by the Irish Free State and creation of the Northern Ireland Assembly. Parliamentary sovereignty and representative reforms were shaped by legislation and movements including the Reform Acts, the Chartist movement, and twentieth-century legislation such as the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949 and the European Communities Act 1972, later superseded by European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.
Structure and composition
The two chambers are the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The House of Commons consists of Members of Parliament elected from single-member constituencies established by redistribution orders and overseen by the Boundary Commission for England, Boundary Commission for Scotland, Boundary Commission for Wales and Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland. Major political parties represented include the Conservative Party (UK), Labour Party (UK), Liberal Democrats (UK), Scottish National Party, and Plaid Cymru. The House of Lords comprises life peers appointed under the Life Peerages Act 1958, hereditary peers remaining under arrangements from the House of Lords Act 1999, and bishops from the Church of England called the Lords Spiritual. Parliamentary officers include the Clerk of the House of Commons, the Serjeant at Arms, and the Lord Chancellor (United Kingdom), while crossbenchers and party whips shape voting behavior.
Powers and functions
Parliament enacts primary legislation through passage of bills; examples include the Representation of the People Act 1918 and the Human Rights Act 1998. It exercises financial authority via appropriation and supply processes influenced by conventions such as confidence and supply and cases like conflicts adjudicated by the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. Scrutiny functions are carried out by departmental select committees (for example the Foreign Affairs Select Committee and Public Accounts Committee), by oral questions at Prime Minister’s Questions involving the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and by investigative powers including summons and evidence-taking. Treaty ratification and declarations often implicate Parliament alongside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and have been central in disputes like those arising from Brexit debates. Parliament also regulates domestically through delegated legislation and holds the executive to account via motions of no confidence, statutory instruments and oversight hearings.
Procedure and proceedings
Legislative procedure follows stages: First Reading, Second Reading, Committee, Report and Third Reading in each chamber, with differing committee types such as Public Bill Committees in the Commons and Committee of the Whole House or Grand Committee in the Lords. The parliamentary calendar includes State Opening featuring the Queen’s/King’s Speech delivered by the monarch, budgetary cycles presented by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and emergency sittings as occurred during crises involving the Cabinet Office. Voting methods include voice votes, divisions recorded by tellers, and electronic voting in the Commons. Parliamentary privileges—established through precedent and cases like Bradlaugh v Gosset—protect freedom of speech within proceedings, while standards and ethics are overseen by bodies such as the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.
Parliamentary building and precincts
Parliament meets at the Palace of Westminster, a Gothic Revival structure rebuilt after the Palace of Westminster fire of 1834 to designs by Charles Barry and A. W. N. Pugin. Key rooms include the House of Commons Chamber, the House of Lords Chamber and Westminster Hall, the latter dating from medieval royal halls and used for state events such as lying-in-state and jubilees of monarchs like Elizabeth II. The parliamentary estate extends to the Norman Shaw Buildings and Portcullis House, with security and access managed in coordination with agencies such as the Metropolitan Police Service and the Parliamentary Security Directorate. Preservation efforts intersect with heritage designations and international visits by figures such as Barack Obama and Angela Merkel.
Relationship with the Crown and government
The constitutional relationship balances the Crown’s formal powers—exemplified by Royal Assent and the appointment of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom—with conventions limiting exercise, as demonstrated during crises like the King–Byng Affair analogues and debates over reserve powers. The Crown-in-Parliament concept binds statutes such as the Bill of Rights 1689 to monarchical assent, while ministerial responsibility links cabinets led by figures like Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher to parliamentary accountability. The monarch’s ceremonial roles at the State Opening and appointments intersect with patronage and advice from the Prime Minister, and interactions with devolved executives involve offices such as the Secretary of State for Scotland and the Secretary of State for Wales.