# UK Constitution and Government/Government


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`<big>`{=html}`<big>`{=html}His Majesty\'s
Government`</big>`{=html}`</big>`{=html}

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## Structure

*His Majesty\'s Government* is the executive political authority for the
United Kingdom as a whole. At its heart is the *Cabinet*, a grouping of
senior *Ministers of the Crown*, headed by the *Prime Minister*. Members
of the Government are political appointees, and are usually drawn from
one of the two Houses of Parliament. In addition to the heads of the
*Departments of State* (most of whom carry the title of *Secretary of
State*), the Government also includes *junior ministers* (who bear the
title of *Under Secretary of State*, *Minister of State*, or
*Parliamentary Secretary*), *whips* (responsible for enforcing party
discipline within the two Houses), and *Parliamentary Private
Secretaries* (political assistants to ministers).

When the Sovereign is the Queen, the Government is referred to as *Her*
Majesty\'s Government; likewise, when there are joint Sovereigns, the
Government is known as *Their Majesties*\' Government.

## Prime Minister

The Prime Minister (or \"PM\") is the head of the Government. Since the
early twentieth century the Prime Minister has held the office of *First
Lord of the Treasury*, and in recent decades has also held the office of
*Minister for the Civil Service*.

The Prime Minister is *asked to form a Government* by the Sovereign.
Usually this occurs after a general election has altered the balance of
party political power within the House of Commons. The Prime Minister is
expected to *have the confidence* of the House of Commons; this usually
means that he or she is the leader of the political party holding the
majority of the seats in the Commons. Since at least the 1920s the Prime
Minister himself is also expected to be a Member of Parliament (i.e.
member of the House of Commons). The Prime Minister retains office until
he or she dies or resigns, or until someone else is appointed; this
means that even when expecting to be defeated at a general election, the
Prime Minister remains formally in power until his or her rival is
returned as an MP and asked in turn to form a Government.

By law, if defeated by an actual Commons vote of \"no confidence\",
there is a period of 14 days during which an alternative Government may
be formed, if a \"vote of confidence\" can be won by a prospective Prime
Minister. If no Government can be formed within the 14 days an election
is automatically triggered, in effect allowing the electorate itself to
approve or disapprove of the Prime Minister\'s policy. The polling day
for the election is to be the day appointed by Her Majesty by
proclamation on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. The Parliament
then in existence dissolves at the beginning of the 17th working day
before the polling day.

The existence and basis of appointment of the office is a matter of
constitutional convention rather than of law. Because of this, there are
no formal qualifications for the office. However, a small number of Acts
of Parliament do make reference to the Prime Minister, and since the
1930s office has carried a salary in its own right.

The Prime Minister is often an extremely powerful figure within the
political system; the office has been said by some to be an \"elected
dictatorship\", and some Prime Ministers have been accused of being
\"presidential\". A weak Prime Minister may be forced out of office
(i.e. forced to resign) by his or her own party, particularly if there
is an alternative figure within the party seen as a better choice.

## Cabinet and other ministers

Membership of the Cabinet is not defined by law, and is only loosely
bound by convention. The Prime Minister and (if there is one) the Deputy
Prime Minister are always members, as are the three most senior
ministerial heads of Departments of State: the *Secretary of State for
Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs* (commonly known as the *Foreign
Secretary*), the *Chancellor of the Exchequer* (i.e. the minister
responsible for finance), and the *Secretary of State for the Home
Department* (commonly known as the *Home Secretary*). Most of the other
heads of departments are usually members of the Cabinet, as well as a
small number of junior ministers.

Ministers of the Crown are formally appointed by the Sovereign upon the
\"advice\" of the Prime Minister. Ministers are bound by the convention
of *collective responsibility*, by which they are expected to publicly
support or defend the policy of the Government, or else resign. They are
also bound by the less clearly defined convention of *individual
responsibility*, by which they are responsible to Parliament for the
acts of their department. Ministers are often called upon to resign who
either by their own actions, or by those of their department, are
perceived in some manner to have failed in their duty; however, it
usually takes sustained criticism over a period of time for both a
minister to feel compelled to resign, and for the Prime Minister to
accept that resignation. Occasionally a minister offers his or her
resignation, but the Prime Minister retains them in office.

Parliamentary Private Secretaries are also bound by the principle of
*collective responsibility*, even though they hold no ministerial
responsibility and take no part in the formation of policy; the position
is seen as an initial stepping-stone towards being offered ministerial
office.

## Privy Council

*His Majesty\'s Most Honourable Privy Council* is a ceremonial body of
advisors to the Sovereign. The Privy Council is used as a mechanism for
maintaining ministerial responsibility for the actions of the Crown; for
example, royal proclamations are approved by the Privy Council before
they are issued. All senior members of the Government are appointed to
be Privy Counsellors, as well as certain senior members of the Royal
Family, leaders of the main political parties, the archbishops and
senior bishops of the Church of England, and certain senior judges.

The Privy Council is headed by the *Lord President of the Council*, a
ministerial office usually held by a member of the Cabinet. By
convention the Lord President is also either the *Leader of the House of
Commons*, or the *Leader of the House of Lords*, with responsibility for
directing and negotiating the course of business in the respective
House.

Meetings of the Privy Council are usually extremely short, and are
rarely attended by more than a bare minimum of Privy Counsellors.

