The UK Parliament or British Parliament

The Speakers of Parliament

Both houses of the British Parliament are led by a speaker, the Speaker of the House for the Commons, and the Lord Speaker in the House of Lords. For the Commons, the approval of the Queen is theoretically required before the election of the Speaker becomes valid, but it is, in practice, always granted. The speakers' role is to lead and control debates in each House chamber, to keep order, and to call MPs when to speak. New vocabulary: approval=acceptance; theoretically required=necessary in theory; granted=given; valid=legal

The lower house - the House of Commons

The House of Commons is a democratically elected chamber with elections held at least every five years. The members are elected by the people. The term "commons" comes from the word commune which is the old French term for a district. Each member represents a district in the UK. Each "Member of Parliament" or "MP" is chosen by a single constituency by the first-past-the-post electoral system. That is, the citizens of the UK, Republic of Ireland and Commonwealth nations elect each MP. In 2016, the House consisted of 650 members who are generally elected for a 5 year term. New vocabulary: district=region; constituency=electoral district; citizens=a legally recognised inhabitant of a country or a district

The upper house - the House of Lords

The House of Lords, sometimes called the House of Peers, includes two different types of members: 1.the Lords Spiritual, consisting of the most senior bishops of the Church of England, and 2.the Lords Temporal, consisting mainly of life peers, appointed by the Sovereign on the advice of the Prime Minister, and of 92 hereditary peers, sitting either by virtue of holding a royal office, or by being elected by their fellow hereditary peers. The highest court in England, Wales and Northern Ireland used to be a committee of the House of Lords. This stopped in 2009 following the establishment of the Supreme Court for the UK. In 2016 the House of Lords consisted of 805 lords Temporal and Spiritual. New vocabulary: elected=chosen; by virtue of=because; establishment=creation; hereditary peers=members appointed by a direct lineage; appointed by=nominated by

Parliamentary privilege

-Freedom of speech in debate: nothing said in either House may be questioned in any court or other institution outside Parliament -Freedom from arrest: it applies during a session of Parliament, and 40 days before or after such a session -Both Houses have the power to punish breaches of their privilege. The punishments imposed by either House may not be challenged in any court New vocabulary: questioned=challenged, disputed; breach=breaking the rule; imposed=dictated

The Parliament is Bicameral

1.The upper house - the House of Lords 2.The lower house - the House of Commons The Sovereign forms the third party (the Queen-in-Parliament). No individual may be a member of both Houses. Members of the House of Lords are legally barred from voting in elections for members of the House of Commons. New vocabulary: bicameral=having two chambers; member=representative; legally barred from=not permitted by law

House of Commons activities

All new legislation must be passed by the House of Commons to become law. It controls taxation and the supply of money to the government. Government ministers (including the Prime Minister) must regularly answer questions in the House of Commons and there are a number of committees that discuss issues and the workings of the government. New vocabulary: legislation=proposed law; taxation=register of income; issues=matters; the workings=the functioning

House of Lords - the Lords Spiritual

The Lords Spiritual prior to 1847 included all of the senior clergymen of the Church of England, that is, the archbishops, bishops and abbots. The Bishopric of Manchester Act 1847 and later Acts restricted the number to the 26 most senior clergymen. The 26 must include the holders of the "five great sees", namely the: 1.Archbishop of Canterbury, 2.Archbishop of York, 3.Bishop of London, 4.Bishop of Durham, and 5.Bishop of Winchester. The remaining 21 Lords Spiritual are the most senior bishops, ranked in order. New vocabulary: prior to=before; abbot=leading monk; restricted=limited; namely=to be specific; remaining=those who are left

The Prime Minister

The Monarch, that is the Queen, appoints the Prime Minister of the UK, who then forms a government from members of the Houses of Parliament. The monarch is advised by the outgoing Prime Minister as to whom he or she should offer the position next. New vocabulary: outgoing Prime Minister=the current Prime Minister who is leaving his post New vocabulary: outgoing Prime Minister=the current Prime Minister who is leaving his post

A Note on the History of Parliament

The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 following the union of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland. At the start of the 19th century, Parliament was further enlarged by Acts of Union ratified by the Parliament of Great Britain and the Parliament of Ireland to create The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. New vocabulary: formed=constructed; following=after; enlarged=made bigger; ratified=officially accepted

The Queen (Monarch)

The Queen signs all Bills to become law (Royal Assent) -She has the power to make treaties, -She has the power to declare war, -She has the power to award honours, -She has the power to appoint officers and civil -servants. In practice these are always exercised by the Monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister and the other ministers of HM Government. The Prime Minister and government are directly accountable to Parliament, through its control of public finances, and to the public, through the election of members of parliament. New vocabulary: royal assent=approval of the monarch; bills=proposed law; accountable to=report to

The Opening of Parliament

The State Opening of Parliament is an annual event that opens a session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is held in the House of Lords Chamber and, before 2012, took place in November or December, or in a general election year, when the new Parliament first assembled. Since 2012 the ceremony has taken place in May or June and is led by the Queen. The Queen reads a speech, known as the Speech from the Throne, which is prepared by the Prime Minister and their cabinet members, outlining the Government's agenda for the coming year. New vocabulary: annual=every year; outlining the agenda=giving a detailed plan; assemble=come together

Head of the UK Parliament - The Queen

The UK Parliament is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and its overseas territories. It has legislative supremacy and power over all other political bodies in the UK and its territories. Its head is the Sovereign of the United Kingdom (currently Queen Elizabeth II) and its seat is the Palace of Westminister, one of the suburbs of the British capital, London. New vocabulary: supreme legislative body=the highest ruling office; sovereign=a monarch, a ruler (king or queen); currently=now

Conclusion

The UK parliament and its institutions have set the standard for many democracies throughout the world, and it has been called "the mother of parliaments". New vocabulary: set the standard=establish the model

The Parliament's Emblem

The quasi-official emblem of the Houses of Parliament is a crowned portcullis. The portcullis was originally the badge of various English noble families from the 14th century. It was adopted by the kings of the Tudor dynasty in the 16th century, under whom the Palace of Westminster became the regular meeting place of Parliament. The crown was added to make the badge a specifically royal symbol. The emblem now appears on official stationery, publications and papers, and is stamped on various items in use in the Palace of Westminster, such as cutlery, silverware and china. Shades of red and green are used for visual identification of the House of Lords and the House of Commons. New vocabulary: emblem=symbol; quasi=partly, half; badge=a small piece of metal with symbols; various=many different; noble=aristocratic; stationery=letters, official paper; china=porcelain

The House of Lords and the House of Commons

The two Houses meet in separate chambers in the Palace of Westminster (known as the Houses of Parliament) in London. All government ministers, including the Prime Minister, are members of the House of Commons. Most cabinet ministers (Secretaries of State) are from the Commons, whilst junior ministers can be from either House. The powers of the House of Lords are much less than those of the House of Commons. New vocabulary: separate=not linked; whilst=while, whereas