Parliament of the United Kingdom

The British Houses of Parliament atPalace of Westminster,seen overWestminster Bridge

TheParliament of theUnited KingdomofGreat BritainandNorthern Irelandis the highest political-legislative andlegislative bodyin the United Kingdom andBritish overseas territories.It alone hasparliamentarysovereigntyover all other political bodies. Theparliamenthas anupper house,theHouse of Lords,and alower house,theHouse of Commons.At its head is themonarch,King Charles III.The monarch is the third part of Parliament. TheBritish peoplechoose the people in the lower house (members of parliament) inelections.

The development of parliament started with the councils ofbishopsandearlsthat advised the kings and queens of theMiddle Ages.In 1707, during theearly modern period,theParliament of Englandand theParliament of Scotlandjoined to become theParliament of Great Britain.The first Parliament of the United Kingdom came into existence in 1801, after theIrish Parliamentjoined with the Parliament of Great Britain. Between 1801 and 1927, the British legislature's name was theParliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

How the British Parliament works

The Parliament of the United Kingdom is split into three separate parts, theHouse of Commons(thelower house), theHouse of Lords(theupper house) and the monarch. Most legislative power is concentrated in the House of Commons. It is made up of 650members of parliament(MPs). These people are elected by the people of the United Kingdom to represent them in the House of Commons. The leader of the political party who commands a majority of MPs is usually made theprime minister of the United Kingdom,thehead of government.Thehead of stateis always the monarch.

The House of Commons starts mostbills.Other bills start in the House of Lords. The House of Commons decides rates oftaxation.

The House of Lords has the power to reject bills, except money bills (tax bills), and make the House of Commons reconsider them. If the House of Lords vetoes a bill twice or delays apublicBill for more than one year then the House of Commons can force the Bill through under the terms of theParliament Acts,unless it started in the House of Lords.

The monarch (nowKing Charles III) is the sovereign in a constitutional monarchy and, theoretically, is the fount of all power in the United Kingdom. Bills must receive the Royal Assent before becoming Acts of Parliament and the monarch is responsible for summoning, proroguing and dissolving Parliament, normally upon the advice of the incumbent Prime Minister. It is now very rare for a monarch to object, but the sovereign still retains thisprerogativefor use if necessary.

How a Bill becomes an Act of Parliament

A representation of the legislative procedure.

Bills may start their passage in either theHouse of CommonsorHouse of Lords

Pre-legislative Scrutiny:Joint committee of both houses review bill and vote on amendments that government can accept or reject. Reports are influential in later stages as rejected committee recommendations are revived to be voted on.

First Reading:No vote occurs. Bill is presented, printed, and in private members' bills, a Second Reading date is set.

Second Reading:A debate on the general principles of the bill is followed by a vote.

Committee Stage:A committee considers each clause of the bill, and may make amendments.

Report Stage:An opportunity to amend the bill. The House consider clauses to which amendments have been tabled.

Third Reading:A debate on final text as amended. In the Lords, further amendments may be tabled at this stage.

Passage:The bill is then sent to the other House which may amend it.

First Reading:Same procedures

Second Reading:Same procedures

Committee Stage:Same procedures

Report Stage:Same procedures

Third Reading:Same procedures

Passage:The bill is then returned to the original House.

Pre-legislative Scrutiny:To consider all amendments.

The bill is then processed forRoyal Assent,if accepted, the bill becomes an Act.

	Making new lawTypes of billBill procedureFirst readingSecond readingCommons committee stageLords committee stageReport stageThird readingPassage through the other HouseRoyal assentDelegated legislation

History

In theMiddle Agesand early modern period there were three kingdoms within theBritish Isles—England,ScotlandandIreland— and these developed separate parliaments. The1707 Acts of Unionbrought England and Scotland together under the Parliament of Great Britain, and the1800 Act of Unionincluded Ireland under the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The parliament atWestminsterinLondonis sometimes called the "Mother of all Parliaments"

Parliament of England

See the main article:Parliament of England

TheEnglish Parliamenthas its origins in theAnglo-SaxonWitenagemot.In1066,William of Normandybrought afeudal system,where he sought the advice of a council before making laws. In 1215, this council receivedMagna CartafromKing John,which established that the king may not levy or collect any taxes (except the feudal taxes to which they were hitherto accustomed), save with the consent of his royal council, which slowly developed into a parliament.

In 1265,Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicestercalled the firstelectedParliament. The Laws in Wales Acts of 1535–42annexedWalesas a part of England and brought Welsh representatives to Parliament.

WhenElizabeth Iwas succeeded in 1603 by theScottish KingJames VI of Scotland(James I of England) the countries both came under his rule, but each kept its own Parliament.

Parliament of Scotland

See the main article:Parliament of Scotland

In Scotland in theHigh Middle Agesthe King's Council of Bishops and Earls was the beginning of theParliamentof 1235.

Parliament of Ireland

See the main article:Irish Parliament

The Irish Parliament was founded to represent the English community in the Lordship of Ireland, but the native or Gaelic Irish were not allowed to vote or stand for office, the first known meeting being in 1264. In 1541Henry VIIIdeclared theKingdom of Ireland.The Gaelic Irish lords were now entitled to attend the Irish Parliament as equals of the majority of English descent.

Related pages

• MPs elected in the UK general election, 2005
• Parliament of England
• List of Parliamentary constituencies in the United Kingdom
• Parliamentary procedure

Further reading

• Blackstone, Sir William 1765.Commentaries on the Laws of England.Oxford: Clarendon Press.
• Davies M. 2003.Companion to the Standing Orders and guide to the proceedings of the House of Lords,19th ed.Archived2005-12-19 at theWayback Machine
• Farnborough, Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron 1896.Constitutional history of England since the Accession of George the Third,11th ed. London: Longmans, Green and Co.
• "Parliament." (1911).Encyclopædia Britannica,11th ed. London: Cambridge University Press.

Other websites

• The Parliament of the United Kingdom.Official website.
• The Parliamentary Archives of the United Kingdom.Official website.
• History of Parliament.Official website.
• The British ConstitutionArchived2011-08-12 at theWayback MachineA general introduction to the principles underlying the UK Constitution
• The Parliament of the United Kingdom.Parliament Live TV.
  • Provides online viewing of debates in The House of Lords, House of Commons and Westminster Hall debates. In addition, committee meetings can be viewed live or viewed from beginning to end. Using a 56k dial up connection streamed debates can be followed, though with erratic video and sound prone to disruption.
• The British Broadcasting Corporation. (2005)."A–Z of Parliament."
• Information links to Government, political parties and statistics.Archived2007-08-11 at theWayback Machine
• The Guardian.(2005)."Special Report: House of Commons."Archived2007-10-26 at theWayback Machine
• The Guardian.(2005)."Special Report: House of Lords."
• Parliamentary procedure site at Leeds UniversityArchived2017-10-12 at theWayback Machine
• Works by the Parliament of the United KingdomatProject Gutenberg