1. Institutions of the British National Government
Prime Minister & Cabinet
Parliament
Bureaucracy and Judiciary

2. Westminster Model
Westminster Model – is a democratic parliamentary system of government modeled after the political system of the United Kingdom.
Term comes from the Palace of Westminster, the seat of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

3. British Government Overview
Britain is a unitary state with political authority centralized in London.
Government has three branches of government (executive, legislative, judiciary) & a bureaucracy.
Legislature (Parliament) is a bicameral system – House of Lords & House of Commons
Parliamentary System – a system of government where in the ministers of the executive branch are drawn from the legislature.
Prime Minister is the head of government; Monarchy is the head of state

4. British Prime Minister
Prime Minister (PM)
Gordon Brown
British Prime Minister
Prime Minister– is the leader of the majority party in Parliament
Considered to be the “first among equals”
Head of Government
Leader of the legislative and executive branch – no separation of powers
Not directly elected by the people
Chooses cabinet members
Represents the party in parliamentary elections
Lives at Number 10 Downing Street

5. The Cabinet
Cabinet consists of the Prime Minister and the Ministers – head a major bureaucracy of the government.
Members are party leaders from Parliament chosen by the Prime Minister.
Collective Responsibility – as leaders of the majority party elected by the people, the cabinet is the center of policymaking in the British political system

6. Parliament
Parliament is a bicameral legislature with a House of Commons and a House of Lords.
House of Lords
House of Commons

7. House of Lords
Members are either Hereditary Peers – seats passed down through family ties; or Life Peers – people appointed to seat through distinguished service to Britain
Minimal power/influence
Powers to delay legislation; debate technicalities of proposed bills; add amendments to legislation (simple majority vote override by Commons)

8. House of Commons Consist of Members of Parliament (MPs)
Currently 646 members
Only ones who can become party leaders and ultimately the head of government (no outsiders)
True policy making house of Parliament (Parliamentary Sovereignty – the principle that Parliament’s decisions are final)
Controlled by the Prime Minister & the Majority Party

9. House of Commons
Party Discipline – when all members of Parliament within a party vote together on every subject.
If party members do not support their leadership, the government lacks legitimacy.
Majority party wants to avoid losing a vote of confidence – a vote on a key issues.
If lost, by tradition the cabinet must resign immediately and elections for new MPs must be held ASAP

10. House of Commons Speaker of the House Cabinet Members Shadow Cabinet
Overseer of debates; not a MP; apolitical
Cabinet Members
Shadow Cabinet
“Backbenchers”
“Backbenchers”
Prime Minister
Leader of majority party
Leader of the Opposition
Leader of minority party
Loyal Opposition Side
Minority Party; left of the Speaker
Majority Party Side
right of the Speaker
Leader of the Second Opposition
Leader of 2nd minority party

11. House of Commons
Question Time – once a week, the Prime Minster & cabinet must defend themselves and their policies against the opposition
(4:22)
(0:44)
(9:53)

12. Whitehall Palace in London
British Bureaucracy
Whitehall Palace in London
Buildings where Cabinet Offices and British Bureaucracy Offices are housed.
Top level bureaucrats (civil servants) are experts in their field and make a career of government service.
Have a great deal of input into policymaking (discretionary power) due to their expertise.
Their job is implement policy enacted by cabinet members.
Usually never run for office or active in party politics

13. Royal Courts of Justice in London
British Judiciary
Legal system based on common law (focuses on precedent & interpretation)
Law Lords – highest court, select members of the House of Lords
Limited powers of judicial review due to the principal of parliamentary sovereignty (Parliament’s decisions are final)
Courts may not impose rulings on Parliament, the Prime Minister or the cabinet
Royal Courts of Justice in London