Parliament and Prime Minister

The British Parliament has two houses, or chambers: the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The House of Commons is the most powerful and decides national policy, but the House of Lords can ask the House of Commons to rewrite certain parts of a bill before it becomes a new law.

The House of Commons consists of Members of Parliament, MPs. Each MP is elected by voters in one constituency (region). There are 659 MPs, or seats, in the House of Commons. In 1994, there were only 59 women MPs. This number increased to 101 when the Labour Party took office in 1997.

Until 1999 there were 1,213 members of the House of Lords, including 646 hereditary peers, whose titles are inherited. There were also a number of judges and bishops. But most members were life peers, who hold their titles for their lifetime only. Often, life peers are politicians who were members of the House of Commons in the past.

The Labour Government of Tony Blair promised to reform the House of Lords and make it an elected House. But how the elections will work is still being debated. In the meantime, the number of hereditary peers has been reduced to 92 Lords. The other hereditary peers have kept their titles but can no longer attend or vote in Parliament.

The party with most MPs forms the Government. The leader of the winning party automatically becomes Prime Minister and appoints the Cabinet. The members of the Cabinet are the leading government ministers. The Prime Minister is the most important person in Parliament (Britain does not have a president). The party which comes second is the Opposition and forms its own Shadow Cabinet.

British Prime Ministers have lived at 10 Downing Street since 1731. The Prime Minister and the Cabinet meet here almost every week. Together they run the country. The Chancellor of the Exchequer (responsible for money and finance) lives next door at number 11. People often talk about “Downing Street“ when they mean the Prime Minister and his or her Cabinet.

a  How many chambers are there in your Parliament and what are they called?

b  How old do you have to be to vote in your country?

c  How many political parties are there in your country and what are they called?

d  What is the title of the most powerful person in Parliament in your country?

Michael Vaughan-Rees, Geraldine Sweeney, Picot Cassidy: In Britain. 21st Century Edition, Cornelsen Verlag, 2000, page 14