Government Overview
Country
Etymology: Self-descriptive country name. The designation "Great Britain," in the sense of "Larger Britain," dates to medieval times when it was used to distinguish the island from "Little Britain," or Brittany in modern France. The name Ireland derives from the Gaelic Eriu, the matron goddess of Ireland, meaning “goddess of the land.”
Capital
London
Geographic coordinates: 51 30 N, 0 05 W
Time Difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight Savings: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March, ends last Sunday in October Note: Applies to the United Kingdom proper, not to its crown dependencies or overseas territories.
Independence
Date: No official date of independencernNotable dates: 927 (minor English kingdoms united), 3 March 1284 (enactment of the Statute of Rhuddlan uniting England and Wales), 1536 (Act of Union formally incorporates England and Wales), 1 May 1707 (Acts of Union formally unite England, Scotland, and Wales as Great Britain), 1 January 1801 (Acts of Union formally unite Great Britain and Ireland as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland), 6 December 1921 (Anglo-Irish Treaty formalizes partition of Ireland; six counties remain part of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland), 12 April 1927 (Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act establishes current name of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland).
Constitution
History: Unwritten. Partly statutes, partly common law and practice.
Amendments: Proposed as a bill for an Act of Parliament by the government, House of Commons, or House of Lords. Passage requires agreement by both houses and the monarch (Royal Assent).
Legal System
Common law system, with nonbinding judicial review of Acts of Parliament under the Human Rights Act of 1998
Citizenship
Citizen By Birth: No
Citizen By Descent: At least one parent must be a citizen of the United Kingdom
Dual Citizenship Recognized: Yes
Residency requirement for Naturalization: Five years
Suffrage
Suffrage: 18 years of age, universal
Executive Branch
Chief of State: British Commonwealth Monarch
Head of Government: Prime Minister
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister
Description: England’s government operates within the framework of a constitutional monarchy, with the British monarch as head of state. The monarch’s role is mostly ceremonial. Executive authority, in practice and by tradition, is carried out by a prime minister who sits at the head of the Cabinet of government ministers. Following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition in the House of Commons traditionally becomes the prime minister, through formal appointment by the monarch. The prime minister appoints members of the Cabinet from within the Parliamentary majority, leads the Parliamentary majority in forging a legislative agenda, and leads the Cabinet in carrying it out. The prime minister can be removed through a vote of no-confidence in the House of Commons. Note: In addition to serving as the UK head of state, the British monarch is the constitutional monarch for 15 additional Commonwealth countries (these 16 states are each referred to as a Commonwealth realm).
Legislative Branch
Description: Lawmaking authority is vested in the bicameral Parliament, composed of the House of Lords and House of Commons. The House of Lords has a variable number of seats, with members appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister and non-party political members recommended by the House of Lords Appointments Commission. As of May 2018, 780 lords were eligible to participate in the work of the House of Lords including 664 life peers, 90 hereditary peers, and 26 clergy. The House of Commons contains 650 seats, with members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority popular vote to serve five-year terms unless the House is dissolved earlier.
Judicial Branch
Description: The highest judicial body is the Supreme Court, which consists of 12 justices including the court president and deputy president. Justices are preselected by an independent committee of several judicial commissions before being formally recommended by the prime minister for appointment by the monarch. Justices serve for lifetime terms. Subordinate courts of England and Wales include the Court of Appeal (civil and criminal divisions), High Court, Crown Court, County Courts, and Magistrates' Courts. Subordinate courts of Scotland include the Court of Sessions, Sheriff Courts, High Court, and specialized tribunals. Subordinate courts of Northern Ireland include the Court of Appeal, High Court, County Courts, Magistrates' Courts, and specialized tribunals.
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