Politics of the United Kingdom
The politics of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland takes place in the framework of a constitutional monarchy, in which the Monarch is head of state and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the UK government and the devolved governments of Scotland and Wales and the Executive of Northern Ireland. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of Parliament, the House of Commons and the House of Lords, as well as in the Scottish parliament and Welsh and Northern Ireland assemblies. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature, though several senior judges are still members of the House of Lords, which is currently the highest court of the UK for civil cases and the highest court of England and Wales for criminal cases. Starting in 2009 however, the judicial role of the House of Lords will be scrapped under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005.
The UK is a multi-party system and since the 1920s, the two largest political parties have been the Conservative Party and the Labour Party.Each country of the UK is divided into parliamentary constituencies of broadly equal population by its Boundary Commission.Each constituency elects a Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons at General Elections and, if required, at by-elections compensation claims Express Solicitors is a national firm of fully accredited solicitors. No win no fee, personal injury & accident compensation claim specialists. Call today for free advice! UK Immigration Law Danielle Cohen is a leading firm of specialist immigration solicitors, experienced in assisting clients seeking a UK work permit. We are based in the heart of Camden Town. Family Law Attorney San Diego El Cajon
Various electoral systems are used in the UK
- The First Past the Post system is used for UK general elections, and also for some local government elections in England and Wales.
- The Bloc Vote system is also used for some local government elections in England and Wales.
- The Additional Member System is used for elections to the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and London Assembly.
- The Single Transferable Vote system is used in Northern Ireland to elect the Assembly, local councils, and Members of the European Parliament, and in Scotland to elect local councils.
- The Party List System is used for European Parliament elections in England, Scotland and Wales.
- The Supplementary Vote is used to elect directly-elected mayors in England, such as the Mayor of London.
International organizations of participation
- African Development Bank
- Asian Development Bank
- Australia Group
- Bank for International Settlements
- Commonwealth of Nations
- Caribbean Development Bank (non-regional)
- Council of Europe
- CERN