Chapter 5
The UK government, the law and your role
Parliament, elections, devolution, the courts, taxes, and the part you play as a resident.
How the UK is governed
- 1The UK is a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy. It has no single written constitution; law, common law and conventions work together.
- 2The monarch is head of state: opens Parliament, gives Royal Assent to bills, appoints the Prime Minister, and is Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.
- 3Parliament is the House of Commons, the House of Lords, and the monarch. It sits at the Palace of Westminster.
- 4The Commons has 650 elected MPs, one per constituency, chosen by first-past-the-post. The Speaker is impartial.
- 5The Lords is not elected. It is mostly life peers, plus 26 Church of England bishops and some remaining hereditary peers. It revises legislation.
- 6A bill must be passed by both Houses and receive Royal Assent to become an Act of Parliament.
Elections, parties and devolution
- 1A general election must be held at least every five years. You can vote at 18 if you are a UK, Irish or qualifying Commonwealth citizen living in the UK.
- 2The Prime Minister is the leader of the party that can command a majority in the Commons, and chooses the Cabinet.
- 3The Civil Service is politically independent and serves whichever government is in office.
- 4Powers have been devolved to the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood, Edinburgh), the Welsh Assembly (Cardiff) and the Northern Ireland Assembly (Stormont, Belfast). England has no separate devolved parliament.
The law and the courts
- 1The judiciary is independent. England and Wales share a legal system; Scotland has a separate one; Northern Ireland has its own.
- 2Most minor criminal cases are heard in a Magistrates’ Court (no jury). Serious cases go to the Crown Court, with a judge and a jury of 12 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- 3In Scotland a criminal jury has 15 people. The High Court of Justiciary is the supreme criminal court there.
- 4The UK Supreme Court is the final court of appeal (it replaced the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords in 2009).
- 5Solicitors give legal advice; barristers (advocates in Scotland) represent people in the higher courts.
- 6The age of criminal responsibility in the handbook is 10 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and 8 in Scotland.
- 7Jury service can be required of people aged 18 to 70 who are on the electoral register.
Your role, tax and driving
- 1You need a National Insurance number to work and to pay National Insurance and income tax. VAT is a tax on goods and services. Council tax funds local services.
- 2Drive on the left. A full car licence can be obtained from 17 after theory and practical tests. Insurance is compulsory.
- 3Call 999 or 112 in an emergency.
- 4The UK is a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a member of NATO. The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of countries, most of them former parts of the Empire; the monarch is Head of the Commonwealth.
- 5The handbook treats the UK as a member of the European Union — that is the 3rd edition text the official test is based on.
- 6A census of the population is held every ten years.
Life in the UK Test Practice Questions
Test your knowledge with some sample questions from Chapter 5.
Question 1. Which of the following is not a constitutional institution?
- A) The cabinet
- B) The armed forces
- C) The police
- D) The Parliament
Correct answer: The armed forces
Constitutional institutions in the UK include: the monarchy, the Parliament (the House of Commons and the House of Lords), the Prime Minister, the cabinet, the judiciary (courts), the police, the civil service and the local government. The armed forces are not a constitutional institution.
Question 2. What are TWO responsibilities of the monarch?
- A) To appoint the members of the cabinet
- B) To debate important national issues
- C) To appoint the government
- D) To advise, warn and encourage the Prime Minister‘s decisions on government policies
Correct answer: To appoint the government; To advise, warn and encourage the Prime Minister‘s decisions on government policies
The monarch does not rule the country but appoints the government, which the people have chosen in a democratic election. The monarch also has regular meetings with the Prime Minister and can advise, warn and encourage, but the decisions on government policies are made by the Prime Minister and cabinet.
Question 3. In which of the following matters can the Scottish Parliament legislate?
- A) Immigration
- B) Education
- C) Defence
- D) Security
Correct answer: Education
The Scottish Parliament can legislate on: civil and criminal law, health, education , planning and additional tax-raising powers.
Question 4. Which two issues can the devolved administrations pass laws on?
- A) Education
- B) Defence
- C) Health
- D) Social security
Correct answer: Education; Health
Policy and laws governing defence, foreign affairs, immigration, taxation and social security all remain under central UK government control. However, many other public services, such as health and education , are controlled by the devolved administrations.
Question 5. What did Emmeline Pankhurst fight for?
- A) Freedom of expression
- B) The right for women to vote
- C) The right to a fair trial
- D) The right to liberty and security
Correct answer: The right for women to vote
Emmeline Pankhurst she set up the women’s Franchise League in 1889, which fought to get the vote in local elections for married women. In 1903 she helped found the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU). This was the first group whose members were called ‘suffragettes’. The group used civil disobedience as part of their protest to gain the vote for women . In 1918, women over the age of 30 were given voting rights and the right to stand for Parliament, partly in recognition of the contribution women made to the war effort during the First World War.
Ready to practise more? Take a full Life in the UK Test practice test.