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The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland [g] is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. [4] [5] It meets at the Palace of Westminster in London.
Oct 23, 2024 · UK Parliament. The UK Parliament has two Houses that work on behalf of UK citizens to check and challenge the work of Government, make and shape effective laws, and debate/make decisions on the big issues of the day. Featured news. View all UK Parliament news. Coming up in the Commons 4-8 November.
Everyone is welcome at UK Parliament. Read information to help you plan your visit including how to find us, disability access, security and facilities. We’re excited to be welcoming visitors back to UK Parliament in person, alongside our online events.
Parliament is made up of three central elements: the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the Monarchy. The main business of Parliament takes place in the two Houses. Generally the decisions made in one House have to be approved by the other.
- Parliament’s Humble Beginnings
- Magna Carta
- Richard II Deposed
- Parliament’s Power Expands
- English Civil War
- The Monarchy Abolished
- The Stuart Kings
- Parliament in Recent History
- House of Lords
- House of Commons
The present-day Parliament is a bicameral (“two chambers”) legislature with a House of Lords and a House of Commons. These two houses, however, weren’t always joined, and had their earliest beginnings in the Anglo-Saxon council governments of the 8th century. The Witan was a small council of clergymen, land-owning barons and other advisors chosen b...
The first English Parliament was convened in 1215, with the creation and signing of the Magna Carta, which established the rights of barons (wealthy landowners) to serve as consultants to the king on governmental matters in his Great Council. As in the early Witans, these barons were not elected, but rather selected and appointed by the king. The G...
Over the course of the next century, the membership of Parliament was divided into the two houses it features today, with the noblemen and bishops encompassing the House of Lords and the knights of the shire and local representatives (known as “burgesses”) making up the House of Commons. During this time, too, Parliament began to take on more autho...
During Henry IV’s time on the throne, the role of Parliament expanded beyond the determination of taxation policy to include the “redress of grievances,” which essentially enabled English citizens to petition the body to address complaints in their local towns and counties. By this time, citizens were given the power to vote to elect their represen...
For much of the 17th century, the United Kingdom experienced a great deal of change and political turmoil. Arguably, the one constant was Parliament. From 1603 to 1660, the country was mired in a drawn-out civil war and, for a time, military leader Oliver Cromwell assumed power under the title Lord Protector. The ruling monarch at the time, Charles...
In 1649, the House of Commons took the unprecedented step of abolishing the monarchy and declaring England a commonwealth. Four years later, though, Cromwell disbanded the Rump Parliament and created the Nominated Assembly, a de facto legislature. Cromwell died in 1658 and was replaced by his son Richard. The son was deposed a year later, and Brita...
The so-called “Stuart Kings”—Charles II and his brother James II, who succeeded him in 1685—maintained a similar relationship with the legislature as their father had in the 1640s. However, religion was a major issue dividing English government and society. When Parliament passed the “Test Act,” which prevented Catholics from holding elected office...
Over course of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, Parliament and its powers evolved—just as the United Kingdom itself did. Scotland formally became a part of the United Kingdom in 1707, and thus sent representatives to the Parliament at Westminster. By the late 1700s, Ireland was also part of the United Kingdom (the six counties in the north of the...
Today, the two houses of Parliament—the House of Lords and the House of Commons—meet in the Palace of Westminster in London, and are the only body in the United Kingdom’s constitutional monarchy government with the authority to create legislation and make laws. The current monarch, King Charles III, still serves a ceremonial role as head of state, ...
Today, all legislation must be approved by the House of Commons in order for it to become law. The House of Commons also controls taxation and the government’s purse strings. The public in the United Kingdom elects each of the 650 members of the House of Commons. And in a system somewhat different from that of the United States, government minister...
Welcome to the Houses of Parliament 360° virtual tour; discover the history, art, and architecture of the building and discover what happens at UK Parliament. Immerse yourself in the 360° walkthrough of the Palace of Westminster.
House of Commons, popularly elected legislative body of the bicameral British Parliament. Although it is technically the lower house, the House of Commons is predominant over the House of Lords, and the name “Parliament” is often used to refer to the House of Commons alone.
