United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Abstract

The Constitution of the United Kingdom is no single written document but consists mainly of customary law, statutes with a “constitutional” character and common law, that is case law. There is no technical difference between ordinary statutes and law considered “Constitutional Law”. The United Kingdom is a unitary state which is divided into the four constituent countries of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The Government of Wales Act of 31 July 1998, the Scotland Act of 19 November 1998 and the Northern Ireland Act of 19 November 1998 conferred a certain regional autonomy upon the three countries. Each now has its own Parliament and executive. Gibraltar has the status of a Crown Colony of the United Kingdom. Each is further subdivided for the purposes of local government. The United Kingdom is a Constitutional Monarchy with a parliamentary form of government. Parliament consists of an upper house, the House of Lords, and a lower house, the House of Commons. The House of Commons has 646 deputies who are elected by the people on the basis of a majority vote. The House of Lords consists of 731 members with the majority being Life Peers. The Head of State is the Monarch who is to give royal assent to every bill passed by the two houses. The Monarch appoints the Prime Minister who is the leader of the largest party in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister then chooses a cabinet.