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ISSUES: Citizenship
Chapter 3: Politics in the UK
The Monarch and Parliament
The Monarch visits the Houses of Parliament, usually once a year, arriving in grand
style to open a new session of Parliament. This article explains more about their role.
Y
ou know who the current
Monarch is? But do you know
what they have to do with the
UK Parliament?
The Monarch used to run the
country, but not anymore
In the past Britain’s kings and queens
were incredibly powerful. They
controlled the decisions that affected
everyone in the country. Today, most
of the important decisions that affect
us are made by MPs and Members of
the House of Lords.
It’s not the UK Parliament
without the Monarch
The UK Parliament has the power to
pass laws for our country. It’s formed
of representatives from three parts:
650 MPs in the House of Commons;
over 750 Members of the House of
Lords; and the Monarch.
The Monarch gives ‘final
approval’ to all laws
The Monarch signs their name to
every Act of Parliament before it can
become the law of the land. It would
be very unusual for them to refuse.
No monarch has refused Parliament’s
wishes for over 300 years.
The Monarch opens Parliament
every year
MPs andLords don’tmeet inParliament
every day of the year. There are some
breaks. It falls to the Monarch to open
each new meeting – or ‘session’ – of
Source: YouGov Survey Results, 3–4 September 2015
The Monarchy: good for Britain?
Generally speaking, do you think the institution of the Monarchy is good or bad for Britain
?
Good
Bad
Neither
68%
9%
17%
Parliament. It’s rather like Parliament’s
version of a school assembly, held
for everyone, at the start of a new
academic year. Take a look at 2016
State Opening photographs.
The Monarch appoints the
Prime Minister after an election
The Monarch officially appoints the
Prime Minister after a general election,
although they don’t choose the Prime
Minister theirself. By tradition, they
appoint the leader of the political
party that wins a majority of the seats
in Parliament. In 2010 there was no
majority, so the Monarch appointed
the leader of the party with the most
seats.
When it comes to politics, the
Monarch is ‘neutral’
The Monarch doesn’t get involved in
running the Government. Nor do they
publicly say what they think about
political issues. This is why people
sometimes say the Monarch is ‘above
politics’.
Ö
The
above
information
is
reprinted with kind permission
from parliament.uk.
© parliament.uk 2017
