The constitution of the United Kingdom comprises the written and unwritten arrangements that establish the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as a political body. Unlike in most coun
Parliament is central to the United Kingdom's democratic constitution. In the Palace of Westminster the House of Commons represents the public in 650 UK constituencies and chooses the prime minister at will. The House of Lords remains unelected but can be overruled.
(London, Houses of Parliament. The Sun Shining through the Fog by Claude Monet, 1904). Parliament (from French, parler, "to talk") is the UK's highest law-making body.
The UK has committed to international law as a "sovereign" member, to augment its power through cooperation, in the United Nations since 1945. The first UN General Assembly was held at Methodist Central Hall, opened by Prime Minister Clement Attlee.
From 1973 to 2020, the UK was a member state of the European Union (and its predecessor organisation the European Communities), which is committed to "human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights".
The monarchy of the United Kingdom, or simply the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with their powers re
Constitution of the United Kingdom
…Department of Health and Social Care which runs the National Health Service, or the Department for Education which funds schools and universities. The monarch in their public capacity, known as the Crown, embodies the state. Laws can only be made by or with the authority of the Crown in Parliament, all judges…
King Charles III 2023 Coronation Balcony
The monarch's cypher on a ministerial folder
The English Bill of Rights of 1689 curtailed the sovereign's governmental power.
King Charles III with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, 2025