Government and political system in the UK

 

The UK is a constitutional monarchy, similar to countries such as Spain, the Netherlands, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates. This means that a monarch acts as Head of State. Since of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022, the current monarch is King Charles III. The UK is a parliamentary democracy where the elected British Government, the head of which is the Prime Minister, holds executive power.

Two chambers exercise legislative power: the lower chamber – the House of Commons – made up of 650 elected regional Members of Parliament (MP); and the upper chamber – the House of Lords – made up of a mixture of appointed and hereditary peers. Unlike with elected MPs, the number of members in the House of Lords is not fixed. Currently there around 800 members from across the parties, as well as non-affiliated members.

Although the British government has central power, a certain amount of political power has been devolved to the regional governments in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Both Scotland and Wales established their own devolved parliaments in 1999. Northern Ireland has had its own devolved assembly since 1972.

The UK runs a first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system with elections every five years. It ranked 20th in the 2023 Economist Democracy Index.

The British Prime Minister: who is currently in power in the UK?

The leader of the Labour Party, Sir Keir Starmer, is Prime Minister of the UK. Starmer has held this position since July 2024 when the Labour Party won a majority in the General Election

Keir Starmer has been the leader of the Labour Party since April 2020 and MP for Holborn and St Pancras since 2015.Biography

Sir Keir Starmer became Prime Minister on 5 July 2024.  

Education

Keir attended Reigate Grammar School, before studying Law at the University of Leeds. He went on to do postgraduate studies at the University of Oxford, receiving a Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) degree.

Political Career

Keir was elected a Member of Parliament for Holborn and St Pancras in May 2015. He was elected leader of the Labour Party in April 2020.

Career before politics

Keir qualified as a barrister in 1987 working in private practice before working as a legal advisor to the Northern Ireland Policing Board.

He was appointed Queen’s Counsel (QC) in 2002.

In 2008, Keir was appointed Director of Public Prosecutions, leading the Crown Prosecution Service until 2013.

He received a knighthood in 2014 for services to criminal justice.

Personal Life

Keir is married and has two children.

Prime Minister

The Prime Minister is the leader of His Majesty’s Government and is ultimately responsible for the policy and decisions of the government. 

As leader of the UK government the Prime Minister also: 

• oversees the operation of the Civil Service and government agencies 
• chooses members of the government 
• is the principal government figure in the House of Commons