1.
United Kingdom
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The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom or Britain, is a sovereign country in western Europe. Lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland, the United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland, with an area of 242,500 square kilometres, the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world and the 11th-largest in Europe. It is also the 21st-most populous country, with an estimated 65.1 million inhabitants, together, this makes it the fourth-most densely populated country in the European Union. The United Kingdom is a monarchy with a parliamentary system of governance. The monarch is Queen Elizabeth II, who has reigned since 6 February 1952, other major urban areas in the United Kingdom include the regions of Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester. The United Kingdom consists of four countries—England, Scotland, Wales, the last three have devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in their capitals, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, respectively. The relationships among the countries of the UK have changed over time, Wales was annexed by the Kingdom of England under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. A treaty between England and Scotland resulted in 1707 in a unified Kingdom of Great Britain, which merged in 1801 with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Five-sixths of Ireland seceded from the UK in 1922, leaving the present formulation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, there are fourteen British Overseas Territories. These are the remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in the 1920s, British influence can be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former colonies. The United Kingdom is a country and has the worlds fifth-largest economy by nominal GDP. The UK is considered to have an economy and is categorised as very high in the Human Development Index. It was the worlds first industrialised country and the worlds foremost power during the 19th, the UK remains a great power with considerable economic, cultural, military, scientific and political influence internationally. It is a nuclear weapons state and its military expenditure ranks fourth or fifth in the world. The UK has been a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since its first session in 1946 and it has been a leading member state of the EU and its predecessor, the European Economic Community, since 1973. However, on 23 June 2016, a referendum on the UKs membership of the EU resulted in a decision to leave. The Acts of Union 1800 united the Kingdom of Great Britain, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have devolved self-government
2.
Andrea Leadsom
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Andrea Jacqueline Leadsom PC MP is a British Conservative Party politician who was appointed Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 14 July 2016. She has been a Member of Parliament representing South Northamptonshire since 2010, after graduating with a degree in political science at the University of Warwick, she worked in junior roles, including as a personal assistant, at Barclays and Invesco Perpetual. Leadsom was first elected to the House of Commons in the constituency South Northamptonshire in the 2010 general election, Leadsom was a prominent member of the Leave campaign during the 2016 EU referendum and gained standing in referendum TV debates. On David Camerons resignation, Leadsom became one of five candidates in the election for the leadership of the governing Conservative Party, and thereby for the prime ministership. Leadsom had been criticised for suggesting that May was unsuitable to be Prime Minister as she had no children, may appointed Leadsom as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in her first cabinet. Leadsom was born in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, the daughter of Richard and she attended Tonbridge Girls Grammar School, then read Political Science at the University of Warwick, graduating with a 2,2 in 1987. After graduation, Leadsom began a career in the sector as a debt trader for Barclays de Zoete Wedd. For Barclays itself, she served as Deputy Director in the Financial Institutions team from 1993, in this role, she said she was given a ringside seat in the collapse of Barings Bank. Leadsom clashed with the then-head of Barclay Investments, Bob Diamond, who tried to persuade her to return to work soon after a pregnancy. Later she would claim to have been a Director at Barclays, from 1997 to 1999, Leadsom served as director of her brother-in-laws hedge fund, De Putron Fund Management. Peter de Putron is her sisters husband, according to records at Companies House, Leadsom was promoted to board director for Marketing in 1998 under her maiden name. Leadsom was Head of Corporate Governance and a Senior Investment Officer at Invesco Perpetual from 1999 to 2009, approval for individuals to manage funds or deal with clients is needed from the financial services regulator, which Leadsom held from December 2002 to February 2003. Leadsom was a Councillor on South Oxfordshire District Council between 2003 and 2007 and she contested Knowsley South constituency in the 2005 general election and was on the Conservative A-List. Leadsom was selected to stand as the candidate in the newly created South Northamptonshire constituency in June 2006. In 2009, ConservativeHome said that she was defending a notional Conservative majority of 11,356, at the 2010 general election in May, Leadsom was elected with a majority of more than 20,000. On entering the House of Commons she was appointed a member of the Treasury Select Committee, on 25 October 2011, Leadsom was one of 81 Conservative MPs to defy the party whip and vote in favour of holding a referendum on the UKs membership of the European Union. This led to a sharp ruction with George Osborne at the time, in July 2012, during the Libor scandal, she was widely reported on for her contribution to the Treasury Select Committees questioning of Bob Diamond. At a subsequent hearing she questioned Paul Tucker, who stated that the government had not conspired with the Bank to fix rates
3.
Robert Walpole
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Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, KG, KB, PC, known before 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole, was a British statesman who is generally regarded as the de facto first Prime Minister of Great Britain. Although the exact dates of his dominance are a matter of scholarly debate and he dominated the Walpole–Townshend ministry and the Walpole ministry and holds the record as the longest-serving Prime Minister in British history. Speck says that Walpoles uninterrupted run of 20 years as Prime Minister is rightly regarded as one of the feats of British political history. He was a Whig from the class, who was first elected to Parliament in 1701. He was a squire and looked to country gentlemen for his political base. Hoppit says Walpoles policies sought moderation, he worked for peace, lower taxes, growing exports and he avoided controversy and high-intensity disputes, as his middle way attracted moderates from both the Whig and Tory camps. Dickinson sums up his role, Walpole was one of the greatest politicians in British history. He played a significant role in sustaining the Whig party, safeguarding the Hanoverian succession and he established a stable political supremacy for the Whig party and taught succeeding ministers how best to establish an effective working relationship between Crown and Parliament. Walpole was born in Houghton, Norfolk, in 1676, Horatio Walpole, 1st Baron Walpole was his younger brother. As a child, Walpole attended a school at Massingham. Walpole entered Eton College in 1690 where he was considered an excellent scholar and he left Eton on 2 April 1696 and matriculated at Kings College, Cambridge on the same day. On 25 May 1698 he left Cambridge after the death of his only remaining brother, Edward. Walpole had planned to become a clergyman but as he was now the eldest surviving son in the family, in November 1700 his father died, and Walpole succeeded to the estate. A paper in his fathers handwriting, dated 9 June 1700, shows the estate in Norfolk and Suffolk to have been nine manors in Norfolk. As a young man, Walpole had bought shares in the South Sea Company, which monopolized trade with Spain, the speculative market for slaves, rum and mahogany spawned a frenzy that had ramifications throughout Europe when it collapsed. However, Walpole had bought at the bottom and sold at the top, adding greatly to his inherited wealth, Walpoles political career began in January 1701 when he won a seat in the general election at Castle Rising. He left Castle Rising in 1702 so that he could represent the borough of Kings Lynn. Like his father, Robert Walpole was a member of the Whig Party, in 1705, Walpole was appointed by Queen Anne to be a member of the council for her husband, Prince George of Denmark, Lord High Admiral
4.
Cabinet of the United Kingdom
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Ministers of the Crown, and especially Cabinet ministers, are selected primarily from the elected members of House of Commons, and also from the House of Lords, by the Prime Minister. Cabinet ministers are heads of government departments, mostly with the office of Secretary of State for, the collective co-ordinating function of the Cabinet is reinforced by the statutory position that all the Secretaries of State jointly hold the same office, and can exercise the same powers. The Cabinet is the ultimate decision-making body of the executive within the Westminster system of government in constitutional theory. The political and decision-making authority of the cabinet has been reduced over the last several decades. The Cabinet is the committee of Her Majestys Privy Council, a body which has legislative, judicial and executive functions. Its decisions are implemented either under the existing powers of individual government departments. Since the reign of King George I the Cabinet has been the executive group of British government. Both he and George II made use of the system, as both were not native English speakers, unfamiliar with British politics, and thus relied heavily on selected groups of advisers, the term minister came into being since the royal officers ministered to the sovereign. The name and institution have been adopted by most English-speaking countries, and this development grew out of the exigencies of the First World War, where faster and better co-ordinated decisions across Government were seen as a crucial part of the war effort. All these demanded a highly organised and centralised Government centred on the Cabinet, Cabinet ministers, like all ministers, are appointed and may be dismissed by the monarch at pleasure on the advice of the Prime Minister. The allocation and transfer of responsibilities between ministers and departments is generally at the Prime Ministers discretion. The extent to which the Government is collegial varies with political conditions, any change to the composition of the Cabinet involving more than one appointment is customarily referred to as a reshuffle, a routine reshuffle normally occurs every summer. The number in addition to the Prime Minister is currently 21, the Cabinet Secretary does not have a political appointment such as Secretary of State and is not a member of the Cabinet, but is the professional Head of Her Majestys Civil Service. In formal constitutional terms, the Cabinet is a committee of Her Majestys Most Honourable Privy Council, all Cabinet members are made Privy Counsellors shortly after appointment if not already Privy Counsellors, but only selected Privy Counsellors are appointed to the Cabinet or invited to attend. MPs and peers in the Cabinet use the style the Right Honourable The Cabinet has come to be made up almost entirely of members of the House of Commons, the Leader of the House of Lords is a member of the House of Lords. Otherwise it is rare for a peer to sit in the Cabinet, the Lord Chancellor was formerly the presiding officer of the House of Lords, but since 2007 need not be a member of the Lords, and members of the House of Commons have been appointed. The number of ministers who are peers has increased since 1997. Occasionally cabinet members are selected from outside the Houses of Parliament, harold Wilson appointed Frank Cousins and Patrick Gordon Walker to the 1964 cabinet despite their not being MPs at the time
5.
House of Commons of the United Kingdom
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The House of Commons of the United Kingdom is the lower house of the countrys parliament. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster, officially, the full name of the house is, The Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled. The House is a body consisting of 650 members known as Members of Parliament. Members are elected to represent constituencies by first-past-the-post and hold their seats until Parliament is dissolved, under the Parliament Act 1911, the Lords power to reject legislation was reduced to a delaying power. The Government is primarily responsible to the House of Commons and the prime minister stays in office only as long as he or she retains the support of a majority of its members. Although it does not formally elect the prime minister, the position of the parties in the House of Commons is of overriding importance, by convention, the prime minister is answerable to, and must maintain the support of, the House of Commons. Since 1963, by convention, the minister is always a member of the House of Commons. The Commons may indicate its lack of support for the Government by rejecting a motion of confidence or by passing a motion of no confidence, confidence and no confidence motions are sometimes phrased explicitly, for instance, That this House has no confidence in Her Majestys Government. Many other motions were considered confidence issues, even though not explicitly phrased as such, in particular, important bills that form a part of the Governments agenda were formerly considered matters of confidence, as is the annual Budget. Parliament normally sits for a term of five years. Subject to that limit, the minister could formerly choose the timing of the dissolution of parliament. By this second mechanism, the government of the United Kingdom can change without a general election. In such circumstances there may not even have been a party leadership election, as the new leader may be chosen by acclaim. A prime minister may resign if he or she is not defeated at the polls. In such a case, the premiership goes to whoever can command a majority in the House of Commons, in practice this is usually the new leader of the outgoing prime ministers party. Until 1965, the Conservative Party had no mechanism for electing a new leader, when Anthony Eden resigned as PM in 1957 without recommending a successor and it fell to the Queen to appoint Harold Macmillan as the new prime minister, after taking the advice of ministers. By convention, all ministers must be members of the House of Commons or of the House of Lords, a handful have been appointed who were outside Parliament, but in most cases they then entered Parliament either in a by-election or by receiving a peerage. Since 1902, all ministers have been members of the Commons
6.
Sinecure
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A sinecure means an office that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service. Sinecures have historically provided a potent tool for governments or monarchs to distribute patronage, while recipients are able to store up titles, a sinecure is not necessarily a figurehead, which generally requires active participation in government, albeit with a lack of power. A sinecure can also be given to an individual whose primary job is in another office, for example, the Government House Leader in Canada is often given a sinecure ministry position so that he or she may become a member of the Cabinet. Similar examples are the Lord Privy Seal and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in the British cabinet, other sinecures operate as legal fictions, such as the British office of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds, used as a legal excuse for resigning from Parliament. Such sinecure rectories were expressly granted by the patron and they were abolished by parliament under the Ecclesiastical Commissioners Act of 1840. Such cases eventually ceased to exist, the term is also used of any office or place to which salary emoluments or dignity but no duties are attached. They were prevalent in the 18th century, but were abolished by statutes during that. Below is a list of extant sinecures by Country, Lord Mackay of Clashfern Halsburys Laws of England, 4th ed. Vol.14, Ecclesiastical Law, Smith, W. A Dictionary of Christian Antiquities, Being a Continuation of the Dictionary of the Bible, J. B. Burr Pub. Co. pp. Sinecure. Definition on Enciclopedia Treccani Maurilio Guasco, Storia del clero, Bari, Laterza, p.20
7.
Prime minister
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A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss members of the cabinet. In most systems, the minister is the presiding member. In parliamentary systems fashioned after the Westminster system, the minister is the presiding and actual head of government. In such systems, the head of state or the head of states official representative usually holds a ceremonial position. The prime minister is often, but not always, a member of the Legislature or the Lower House thereof and is expected with other ministers to ensure the passage of bills through the legislature. In some monarchies the monarch may also exercise powers that are constitutionally vested in the crown. The first actual usage of the prime minister or Premier Ministre was used by Cardinal Richelieu when in 1625 he was named to head the royal council as prime minister of France. Louis XIV and his descendants generally attempted to avoid giving this title to their chief ministers, the term prime minister in the sense that we know it originated in the 18th century in the United Kingdom when members of parliament disparagingly used the title in reference to Sir Robert Walpole. Over time, however, the title became honorific and remains so in the 21st century, the monarchs of England and the United Kingdom had ministers in whom they placed special trust and who were regarded as the head of the government. Examples were Thomas Cromwell under Henry VIII, William Cecil, Lord Burghley under Elizabeth I, Clarendon under Charles II and these ministers held a variety of formal posts, but were commonly known as the minister, the chief minister, the first minister and finally the prime minister. The power of ministers depended entirely on the personal favour of the monarch. Although managing the parliament was among the skills of holding high office. Although there was a cabinet, it was appointed entirely by the monarch, when the monarch grew tired of a first minister, he or she could be dismissed, or worse, Cromwell was executed and Clarendon driven into exile when they lost favour. Kings sometimes divided power equally between two or more ministers to prevent one minister from becoming too powerful, late in Annes reign, for example, the Tory ministers Harley and St John shared power. The monarch could no longer any law or impose any tax without its permission. It is at point that a modern style of prime minister begins to emerge. A tipping point in the evolution of the prime ministership came with the death of Anne in 1714, George spoke no English, spent much of his time at his home in Hanover, and had neither knowledge of, nor interest in, the details of English government
8.
Lord President of the Council
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The Lord President of the Council is the fourth of the Great Officers of State of the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord High Treasurer and above the Lord Privy Seal. The Lord President usually attends and is responsible of presiding over meetings of the Privy Council, in the modern era, the holder is by convention always a member of one of the houses of Parliament and the office is a Cabinet post. The Lord President is currently David Lidington as of 14 July 2016, the Privy Council meets once a month, wherever the Sovereign may be residing at the time, to give formal approval to Orders in Council. Only a few Privy Counsellors need attend such meetings, and only invited to do so at the Governments request. As the duties of the Lord President are not onerous, the post has often given to a government minister whose responsibilities are not department-specific. In recent years it has been most typical for the Lord President to also serve as Leader of the House of Commons or Leader of the House of Lords. Before the change of government in 2010, the Lord President was Peter Mandelson, examples of this practice are the meetings in New Zealand in 1990 and 1995, when Geoffrey Palmer and James Bolger respectively were acting Lords President. In the 19th century, the Lord President was generally the cabinet responsible for the education system. This role was gradually scaled back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries but remnants of it remain, a particularly vital role was played by the Lord President of the Council during the Second World War. The Lord President served as chairman of the Lord Presidents Committee and this committee acted as a central clearing house for dealing with the countrys economic problems. This was vital to the running of the British war economy. Winston Churchill, clearly believing that this wartime co-ordinating role was beneficial, introduced a similar, the so-called overlord ministers included Frederick Leathers as Secretary of State for the Co-ordination of Transport, Fuel and Power and Frederick Marquis, 1st Baron Woolton as Lord President. Wooltons job was to co-ordinate the then separate ministries of agriculture, the Lord President has no role in the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. Privy Council Office Vice-President of the Executive Council President of the Queens Privy Council for Canada Sinecure
9.
Lord Privy Seal
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The Lord Privy Seal is the fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and above the Lord Great Chamberlain. The office is one of the sinecure offices of state. Originally, its holder was responsible for the personal seal. Today, the holder of the office is given a seat in the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. Since the premiership of Clement Attlee, the position of Lord Privy Seal has frequently been combined with that of Leader of the House of Lords or Leader of the House of Commons. The office of Lord Privy Seal, unlike those of Leader of the Lords or Commons, is eligible for a ministerial salary under the Ministerial and other Salaries Act 1975. The office does not confer membership of the House of Lords, leading to Ernest Bevins remark on holding office that he was neither a Lord, nor a Privy. During the reign of Edward I, prior to 1307, the Privy Seal was kept by the Controller of the Wardrobe, the Lord Privy Seal was the president of the Court of Requests during its existence
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First Secretary of State
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First Secretary of State is an honorific title occasionally used within the Government of the United Kingdom. The title, which implies seniority over all other Secretaries of State, has no powers or authority attached to it beyond that of any other Secretary of State. The title is not always in use, so there have sometimes been extended gaps between successive holders of the title, the most lengthy of which being the 25 years between 1970 and 1995. The last holder was George Osborne, having held the post from May 2015 until July 2016, the post of Deputy Prime Minister had been created in 1942 for Clement Attlee, the leader of the Labour Party in Winston Churchills wartime coalition ministry. The post indicated that the holder ranked second in government, after the Prime Minister, for this reason, the Deputy Prime Minister concurrently held other offices, entitling him to a place in cabinet. The title First Secretary of State indicated the rank as a Secretary of State. The title was created in 1962 for Deputy Prime Minister R. A. Butler, michael Heseltine and John Prescott were also relieved of their cabinet portfolios when serving as Deputy Prime Minister, and were therefore additionally appointed First Secretary of State. In 1964, Prime Minister Harold Wilson established the alternative usage, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
11.
Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
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The Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is a senior member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. They do not assume the duties and powers of the Prime Minister in the absence, illness, or death. The Deputy Prime Minister does not automatically succeed the Prime Minister when the latter is incapacitated, the designation of someone to the role of Deputy Prime Minister may provide additional practical status within the cabinet, enabling exercise of de facto, if not de jure, power. The Deputy Prime Minister usually deputises for the Prime Minister at official functions, the post of Deputy Prime Minister is not currently in use, having been left empty since the end of the coalition government following the 2015 UK general election. Many theories exist as to the absence of a formal post of Deputy Prime Minister in Britains uncodified constitution, theoretically the sovereign possesses the unrestricted right to choose someone to form a government following the death, resignation or dismissal of a Prime Minister. However, only two Deputy Prime Ministers have gone on to become Prime Minister, clement Attlee won the 1945 general election and succeeded Winston Churchill after their coalition broke up but only after a two-month interval when Attlee was not a member of the government. Anthony Eden succeeded Churchill as Prime Minister not because he had been Deputy Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Ministership, where it exists, may bring with it practical influence depending on the status of the holder, rather than the status of the position. Rab Butler held the post in 1962/63 under Harold Macmillan, but was passed over for the premiership in favour of Alec Douglas-Home, during the Heath administration of the 1970s, the title of Deputy Prime Minister was not formally used. However in his Memoirs, Home Secretary Reginald Maudling describes himself as Deputy Prime Minister under Heath from 1970 to his resignation in 1972 over the Poulson affair, William Armstrong, head of the Civil Service, was also called Heaths Deputy Prime Minister. William Whitelaw was Margaret Thatchers deputy from 1979–1988, a post he combined with that of Home Secretary in 1979–83, sir Geoffrey Howe was given the title in 1989, on being removed from the post of Foreign Secretary. He resigned as Deputy Prime Minister in 1990, making a speech that is widely thought to have hastened Thatchers downfall. Thatchers successor John Major did not appoint a Deputy Prime Minister until 1995, in 2001 this superdepartment was split up, with Prescott being given his own Office of the Deputy Prime Minister with fewer specific responsibilities. Following the 2010 general election, which returned a hung parliament, as leader of the smaller of the two parties in the coalition, Nick Clegg was appointed Deputy Prime Minister on the advice of the new Prime Minister, Conservative leader David Cameron. He chose instead to appoint the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne as First Secretary of State - his effective deputy, after the 2016 referendum on European Union membership, Camerons successor as Prime Minister, Theresa May, also did not appoint an individual to the post. She did not appoint a replacement for Osborne as First Secretary of State either, the most recent Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg maintained an office at the Cabinet Office headquarters,70 Whitehall, which is linked to 10 Downing Street. Cleggs predecessor, John Prescott, maintained his office at 26 Whitehall. The office is not a single department and as such is part of. Given that there is no office of Deputy Prime Minister, with the position being recreated on a case by case basis
12.
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
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The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is the head of Her Majestys Government in the United Kingdom. The prime minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Monarch, to Parliament, to their political party, the office is one of the Great Offices of State. The current prime minister, Theresa May, leader of the Conservative Party, was appointed by the Queen on 13 July 2016. The position of Prime Minister was not created, it evolved slowly and erratically over three hundred years due to acts of Parliament, political developments, and accidents of history. The office is therefore best understood from a historical perspective, the origins of the position are found in constitutional changes that occurred during the Revolutionary Settlement and the resulting shift of political power from the Sovereign to Parliament. The political position of Prime Minister was enhanced by the development of political parties, the introduction of mass communication. By the start of the 20th century the modern premiership had emerged, prior to 1902, the prime minister sometimes came from the House of Lords, provided that his government could form a majority in the Commons. However as the power of the aristocracy waned during the 19th century the convention developed that the Prime Minister should always sit in the lower house. As leader of the House of Commons, the Prime Ministers authority was further enhanced by the Parliament Act of 1911 which marginalised the influence of the House of Lords in the law-making process. The Prime Minister is ex officio also First Lord of the Treasury, certain privileges, such as residency of 10 Downing Street, are accorded to Prime Ministers by virtue of their position as First Lord of the Treasury. As the Head of Her Majestys Government the modern Prime Minister leads the Cabinet, in addition the Prime Minister leads a major political party and generally commands a majority in the House of Commons. As such the incumbent wields both legislative and executive powers, under the British system there is a unity of powers rather than separation. In the House of Commons, the Prime Minister guides the process with the goal of enacting the legislative agenda of their political party. The Prime Minister also acts as the face and voice of Her Majestys Government. The British system of government is based on an uncodified constitution, in 1928, Prime Minister H. H. Asquith described this characteristic of the British constitution in his memoirs, In this country we live. Our constitutional practices do not derive their validity and sanction from any Bill which has received the assent of the King, Lords. They rest on usage, custom, convention, often of slow growth in their early stages, not always uniform, the relationships between the Prime Minister and the Sovereign, Parliament and Cabinet are defined largely by these unwritten conventions of the constitution. Many of the Prime Ministers executive and legislative powers are actually royal prerogatives which are still vested in the Sovereign
13.
Prime Minister's Questions
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PMQs forms an important part of British political culture. In 1953, when Winston Churchill was prime minister, it was agreed that questions would be submitted on fixed days, a Procedure Committee report in 1959 recommended that questions to the prime minister be taken in two fixed-period, 15-minute slots on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. The recommendations were put into practice under Harold Macmillan during an experiment from 18 July 1961 to the end of the session. The very first question was delivered by Labour MP Fenner Brockway, PMQs were made permanent in the following parliamentary session, with the first of these on 24 October 1961. The style and culture of PMQs has changed gradually over time, one of Tony Blairs first acts as prime minister was to replace the two 15-minute sessions with a single 30-minute session on Wednesdays, initially at 3 p. m. but since 2003 at noon. The allocated number of questions in each session for the Leader of the Opposition was doubled from three to six, and the leader of the third-largest party in the Commons was given two questions, the first PMQs to use this new format took place on 21 May 1997. Speaker John Bercow has routinely allowed the session to overrun its allotted 30 minutes by 10 to 15 minutes to more questions. During the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government from 2010–2015, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, as a member of the government, backbench MPs wishing to ask a question must enter their names on the Order Paper. The names of entrants are then shuffled in a ballot to produce an order in which they will be called by the Speaker. The Speaker will then call on MPs to put their questions, usually in an alternating fashion, the Leader of the Opposition usually asks six questions at PMQs, either as a whole block or in two separate groups of three. If the first question is asked by a government backbencher, the Leader of the Opposition is the second MP to ask questions. If the first question is asked by an opposition MP, this will be followed by a question from a government MP, the leader of the third largest parliamentary party would then ask two questions. The first formal question on the Order Paper, posed by simply saying Number one, the Prime Minister usually replies, Before listing the days engagements, the Prime Minister sometimes extends condolences or offers congratulations after significant events. During the Iraq War, Tony Blair introduced the practice of naming any British military personnel who had killed in service since the last time he addressed the House. The practice has continued by Blairs successors as prime minister. After this, the MP may ask a question about any subject which might occupy the Prime Ministers time. Occasionally the first question tabled is on an area of policy. At times of national or personal tragedy or crisis, PMQs have been temporarily suspended, Prime Ministers Questions was also suspended after the sudden death of the leader of the Labour Party, John Smith, in 1994
14.
Cabinet Office
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The Cabinet Office is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for supporting the Prime Minister and Cabinet of the United Kingdom. It is composed of units that support Cabinet committees and which co-ordinate the delivery of government objectives via other departments. It currently has just over 2,000 staff, most of work in Whitehall. Staff working in the Prime Ministers Office are part of the Cabinet Office and this also includes working with the Treasury to drive efficiency and reform across the public sector. Other functions include oversight of the Crown Commercial Service and the accreditation of Social Impact Contractors, the department was formed in December 1916 from the secretariat of the Committee of Imperial Defence under Sir Maurice Hankey, the first Cabinet Secretary. Traditionally the most important part of the Cabinet Offices role was facilitating collective decision-making by the Cabinet and it also contains miscellaneous units that do not sit well in other departments. For example, The Historical Section was founded in 1906 as part of the Committee for Imperial Defence and is concerned with Official Histories, the Joint Intelligence Committee was founded in 1936 and transferred to the department in 1957. It deals with intelligence assessments and directing the national organisations of the UK. The Ceremonial Branch was founded in 1937 and transferred to the department in 1981 and it was originally concerned with all ceremonial functions of state, but today it handles honours and appointments. In modern times the Cabinet Office often takes on responsibility for areas of policy that are the priority of the Government of the time, the units that administer these areas migrate in and out of the Cabinet Office as government priorities change. The Cabinet Office Ministers are as follows, All of the Cabinet Offices ministers are Cabinet members, the Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service is Sir Jeremy Heywood, the Permanent Secretary and Chief Executive of the Home Civil Service is John Manzoni. The Cabinet Office also supports the work of, the Leader of the House of Commons, the Leader of the House of Lords, and the Whips Office. Cabinet Committees have two key purposes, To relieve the burden on the Cabinet by dealing with business that does not need to be discussed at full Cabinet. Appeals to the Cabinet should be infrequent, and Ministers chairing Cabinet Committees should exercise discretion in advising the Prime Minister whether to allow them. To support the principle of responsibility by ensuring that, even though a question may never reach the Cabinet itself. In this way, the judgement is sufficiently authoritative that Government as a whole can be expected to accept responsibility for it. In this sense, Cabinet Committee decisions have the authority as Cabinet decisions. The main building of the Cabinet Office is at 70 Whitehall, remains of Henry VIIIs tennis courts from the Palace of Whitehall can be seen within the building
15.
King's Lynn (UK Parliament constituency)
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Until 1918 it was a parliamentary borough, after which the name was transferred to a county constituency. It was abolished for the February 1974 general election, sir Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister, was an MP for the constituency for almost the entirety of his parliamentary career, from 1702 to 1742. 1950-1974, The Municipal Borough of Kings Lynn, the Urban District of New Hunstanton, and the Rural Districts of Docking, Freebridge Lynn, representation reduced to one member General Election 1914/15 Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The Constitutional Year Book for 1913 J E Neale, The Elizabethan House of Commons Leigh Rayments Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with K
16.
First Lord of the Treasury
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The First Lord of the Treasury is the head of the commission exercising the ancient office of Lord High Treasurer in the United Kingdom, and is now always also the Prime Minister. As of the beginning of the 17th century, the running of the Treasury was frequently entrusted to a commission, as of 1714, it has permanently been in commission. The commissioners have always since that date been referred to as Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, the term Prime Minister was initially, but decreasingly, used as a term of derogation, it was first used officially in a royal warrant only in 1905. William Pitt the Younger once opined that the Prime Minister ought to be the person at the head of the finances, as of 1827, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has always been Second Lord of the Treasury when he was not also Prime Minister. By convention, the other Lords Commissioners of the Treasury are also Government Whips in the House of Commons,10 Downing Street is the official residence of the First Lord of the Treasury, and not of the Prime Minister. As all modern prime ministers have simultaneously been First Lord of the Treasury, thereafter the posts of First Lord of the Treasury and Prime Minister have continually been held by the same person, see the list of 20th century British prime ministers. Chief Baron of the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury List of Lords Commissioners of the Treasury E. B, roy, ed. Handbook of British Chronology, 3rd Edition Haydn, Joseph Timothy. The Book of Dignities HM Government, First Lord of the Treasury
17.
Chancellor of the Exchequer
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The office is a British Cabinet-level position. The chancellor is responsible for all economic and financial matters, equivalent to the role of Secretary of the Treasury or Minister of Finance in other nations. The position is considered one of the four Great Offices of State, the Chancellor of the Exchequer is now always Second Lord of the Treasury as one of the Lords Commissioners for executing the office of Lord High Treasurer. Formerly, in cases when the Chancellorship was vacant, the Lord Chief Justice of the Kings Bench would act as Chancellor pro tempore, the last Lord Chief Justice to serve in this way was Lord Denman in 1834. The earliest surviving records which are the results of the audit, date from 1129–30 under King Henry I. The Chancellor controlled monetary policy as well as fiscal policy until 1997, the Chancellor also has oversight of public spending across Government departments. The current Chancellor of the Exchequer is Philip Hammond and he is entrusted with a certain amount of misery which it is his duty to distribute as fairly as he can. The Chancellor has considerable control over other departments as it is the Treasury which sets Departmental Expenditure Limits, the amount of power this gives to an individual Chancellor depends on his personal forcefulness, his status within his party and his relationship with the Prime Minister. Gordon Brown, who became Chancellor when Labour came into Government in 1997, had a personal power base in the party. One part of the Chancellors key roles involves the framing of the annual year budget, as of 2017, the first is the Autumn Budget, also known as Budget Day which forecasts government spending in the next financial year and also announces new financial measures. The second is a Spring Statement, also known as a mini-Budget, britains tax year has retained the old Julian end of year,24 March /5 April. From 1993, the Budget was in spring, preceded by an annual autumn statement. This was then called Pre-Budget Report, the Autumn Statement usually took place in November or December. The 1997,2001,2002,2003,2006,2007,2008,2012 and 2016 Budgets were all delivered on a Wednesday, although the Bank of England is responsible for setting interest rates, the Chancellor also plays an important part in the monetary policy structure. He sets the target which the Bank must set interest rates to meet. Under the Bank of England Act 1998 the Chancellor has the power of appointment of four out of nine members of the Banks Monetary Policy Committee – the so-called external members. The Act also provides that the Government has the power to give instructions to the Bank on interest rates for a period in extreme circumstances. This power has never officially used. At HM Treasury the Chancellor is supported by a team of four junior ministers
18.
Whigs (British political party)
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The Whigs were a political faction and then a political party in the parliaments of England, Scotland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom. Between the 1680s and 1850s, they contested power with their rivals, the Whigs origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute monarchy. The Whigs played a role in the Glorious Revolution of 1688, and were the standing enemies of the Stuart kings and pretenders. The Whigs took full control of the government in 1715, and remained dominant until King George III, coming to the throne in 1760. The Whig Supremacy was enabled by the Hanoverian succession of George I in 1714, the Whigs thoroughly purged the Tories from all major positions in government, the army, the Church of England, the legal profession, and local offices. The Partys hold on power was so strong and durable, historians call the period from roughly 1714 to 1783 the age of the Whig Oligarchy. The first great leader of the Whigs was Robert Walpole, who maintained control of the government through the period 1721–1742, his protégé was Henry Pelham, who led from 1743 to 1754. Both parties were founded on rich politicians, more than on votes, there were elections to the House of Commons. The Whig Party slowly evolved during the 18th century, later on, the Whigs drew support from the emerging industrial interests and wealthy merchants, while the Tories drew support from the landed interests and the royal family. The term Whig was originally short for whiggamor, a term meaning cattle driver used to describe western Scots who came to Leith for corn. In the reign of Charles I the term was used during Wars of the Three Kingdoms to refer derisively to a faction of the Scottish Covenanters who called themselves the Kirk Party. It was then applied to Scottish Presbyterian rebels who were against the Kings Episcopalian order in Scotland, Whig was a term of abuse applied to those who wanted to exclude James on the grounds that he was a Roman Catholic. The fervent Tory Samuel Johnson often joked that the first Whig was the Devil, the Whigs, under Lord Shaftesburys leadership, wished to exclude the Duke of York from the throne due to his Catholicism, his favouring of monarchical absolutism and his connections to France. They believed the Duke, if allowed to inherit the throne, would endanger the Protestant religion, liberty, the first Exclusion Bill was supported by a substantial majority on its second reading in May 1679. In response, King Charles prorogued Parliament and then dissolved it and this new parliament did not meet for thirteen months, because Charles wanted to give passions a chance to die down. When it met in October 1680, an Exclusion Bill was introduced and passed in the Commons without major resistance, Charles dissolved Parliament in January 1681, but the Whigs did not suffer serious losses in the ensuing election. The next Parliament first met in March, at Oxford, but Charles dissolved it only after a few days, when he made an appeal to the country against the Whigs, and determined to rule without Parliament. In February, Charles had made a deal with the French King Louis XIV, without Parliament, the Whigs gradually crumbled, mainly due to the Rye House Plot
19.
Samuel Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys
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Samuel Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys, PC was a British politician in the 18th century. He held numerous posts in the government of the United Kingdom, namely Chancellor of the Exchequer, Leader of the House of Commons, Cofferer of the Household and he was also a Justice in Eyre and Member of Parliament for Worcester and holder of the Sandys Barony. He was the son of Edwin Sandys, MP of Ombersley, Worcestershire – himself a descendant of Edwin Sandys, Baron Sandys married Letitia, eldest daughter and co-heiress of Sir Thomas Tipping, 1st Baronet. They had seven sons and the eldest, Edwin, inherited his title upon his death when his post chaise overturned on Highgate Hill, Edwin Sandys, 2nd Baron Sandys christened 14 May 1726 Ombersley, Worcs. Martin Sandys, christened 24 November 1726 Ombersley, Worcs and his daughter Mary inherited the estates upon the 2nd Barons death in 1797 and was granted the Barony with a special remainder to her younger sons in 1802. Cokayne, George E. Sandys of Ombersley, complete peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, extant, extinct, or dormant. Vol. VII, S to T. George Bell & Sons, hanham, A. A. Sandys, Samuel, first Baron Sandys of Ombersley
20.
Worcester (UK Parliament constituency)
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Worcester is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Since 1885 it has elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election, 1918-1950, The County Borough of Worcester. 1950-1983, The County Borough of Worcester, the Municipal Borough of Droitwich, 1983-1997, The City of Worcester, and the District of Wychavon wards of Drakes Broughton, Inkberrow, Lenches, Pinvin, Spetchley, and Upton Snodsbury. The constituency covers the city of Worcester, with exactly the same boundaries as the city and it borders the Mid Worcestershire constituency to the east, and West Worcestershire to the west. A Conservative seat for many years, Worcester was represented by the high-profile Conservative cabinet minister Peter Walker for three decades, from a by-election in 1961 until he stood down in 1992, Peter Luff held the seat until 1997, when he moved to the redrawn Mid Worcestershire constituency. Michael Foster of the Labour Party took the seat in the 1997 general election, Peter Walkers son, Robin Walker, was elected as the Conservative MP in 2010. The constituency is marginal and was selected as a target by the Labour Party in 1997, many political commentators and journalists look on Worcester as having the demographic statistics which most closely mirror those in the United Kingdom as a whole. As such the term Worcester woman has come into use as a description for a swing voter. Constituency created in 1295 General Election 1939/40, Another general election was required to place before the end of 1940. List of Parliamentary constituencies in Herefordshire and Worcestershire Worcester woman
21.
Henry Pelham
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Henry Pelham, PC, FRS was a British Whig statesman, who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 27 August 1743 until his death. He was the brother of Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle. Pelham is generally considered to have been Britains third Prime Minister after Sir Robert Walpole, Pelhams premiership was relatively uneventful in terms of domestic affairs. In foreign affairs, Great Britain fought in several wars, upon Pelhams death, his brother Newcastle took full control of the ministry. He was educated at Westminster School and Hart Hall, Oxford, hertford College, Oxford, the present-day incarnation of Hart Hall, still honours him in the title of its drinking club, the Sir Henry Pelham Gentlemens Sporting Society. As a volunteer he served in Dormers regiment at the Battle of Preston in 1715, spent some time on the Continent, through strong family influence, and the recommendation of Robert Walpole, he was chosen in 1721 as Lord of the Treasury. The following year he was returned for Sussex county, in 1724 he entered the ministry as Secretary at War, but this office he exchanged in 1730 for the more lucrative one of Paymaster of the Forces. He made himself conspicuous by his support of Walpole on the question of the excise and he, Newcastle, and the Prime Minister would often meet at Houghton Hall in Norfolk, where they would draw up much of the countrys policy. These meetings became known as the Norfolk Congress, with Walpole, he served as a founding governor of the popular charity the Foundling Hospital when it opened its doors in 1739. In 1742 a union of parties resulted in the formation of an administration in which Pelham became Prime Minister the following year, Pelham served as First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Leader of the House of Commons. In November 1744, the Pelhams forced Lord Carteret out of the ministry, Pelham bluntly told the king that either Carteret step down, or the Pelhamites would, thereafter Pelham shared power with his brother, the Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne. Pelham was regarded as the figure, but rank and influence made his brother very powerful in the Cabinet. In spite of an attachment, there were occasional disputes between them, which sometimes led to further difficulties. One of their terms was to insist that the king should have confidence in a ministry. The Augustan era was essential to the development of prime ministerial power as being entirely dependant on a Commons majority, while the king struggled with his headstrong son, Frederick, Prince of Wales, his sons uncertain constitutional position was high in the Leicester House party set. In 1748 Frederick, a Tory, planned to bring down the Pelhamites at an election due the following year. Prime Minister called a poll in 1748 by asking the king to dissolve parliament in 1747. The prince and his father, the king grew to one another with unspeakable animosity
22.
Thomas Robinson, 1st Baron Grantham
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Thomas Robinson, 1st Baron Grantham, KB PC was a British diplomatist and politician. He was a son of Sir William Robinson, Bt of Newby-on-Swale, Yorkshire. His elder brother was Rear Admiral Sir Tancred Robinson, during 1741 he sought to make peace between the empress Maria Theresa and Frederick the Great, but in vain, and in 1748 he represented his country at the Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle. He was made a Knight Companion of the Bath in 1742, returning to England he sat in parliament for Christchurch from 1749 to 1761. In 1750, he was appointed to the Privy Council, in November 1755 he resigned, and in April 1761 he was created Baron Grantham. He was Master of the Great Wardrobe 1749–1754 and again 1755–1760 and he died in London on 30 September 1770. He married Frances, daughter of Thomas Worsley of Hovingham, on 13 July 1737 and he was succeeded in the peerage by his eldest son, Thomas. The town of Grantham, New Hampshire in the United States of America is named after Robinson
23.
Christchurch (UK Parliament constituency)
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Christchurch is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 1997 by Christopher Chope of the Conservative Party. The original Christchurch constituency, a borough, existed from 1572 until 1918. The constituency was re-created as a county constituency in 1983 from parts of the seats of Christchurch and Lymington, North Dorset and New Forest. It has since 1983 seen strong Conservative majorities, with the exception of a 1993 by-election caused by the death of Robert Adley when it was won by Diana Maddock a Liberal Democrat. The Conservatives regained the seat at the general election in 1997, despite their landslide defeat nationally. Having recovered from an early-1990s by-election loss, it is a safe Conservative seat, bournemouth airport is located within the seat. General Election 1914/15, Another General Election was required to place before the end of 1915. W. S. Craig British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885, compiled and edited by F. W. S, craig British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, compiled and edited by F. W. S
24.
Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland
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Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland, PC was a leading British politician of the 18th century. He identified primarily with the Whig faction and he was the father of Charles James Fox. He was the son of Sir Stephen Fox and his second wife the former Christiana Hope. He squandered most of it soon after attaining his majority, there he made the acquaintance of a woman of fortune, who became his patroness and was so generous to him that, after several years’ absence, he was in a position to return home. In 1735 he entered Parliament as Member for Hindon in Wiltshire and he became a protégé and devoted supporter of Sir Robert Walpole, the long-standing Prime Minister, achieving unequalled and unenviable proficiency in the worst political arts of his master and model. He earned particular notice with a speech in parliament calling on Britain to support its European allies and he generally aligned with the government Whigs rather than the Patriot Whig faction that opposed them. Until 1742 this meant the government of Walpole, but afterward and it was the government of Henry Pelham to which he lent his support. A skilled speaker, he was able to hold his own against Pitt himself and this helped him progress in the House of Commons, becoming an indispensable member of several administrations. He served as Surveyor-General of Works from 1737 to 1742, as Member for Windsor from 1741 to 1761 and he had eloped with and married the much younger Lady Caroline Lennox, daughter of the Duke of Richmond, in 1744. She was later created Baroness Holland, of Holland in the County of Lincoln, the noted Whig politicians Charles James Fox and the 3rd Baron Holland were his son and grandson, respectively. Another son was the general Henry Edward Fox and he was known for his tendency to spoil his children, whom he allowed to mingle with the numerous public figures who came to dine at the Fox household. Fox was appointed Secretary at War and member of the Privy Council in 1746 and he had also gained fame on the continent as military commander of Britains forces there. He had built himself a political following in London and, perhaps most importantly to Fox. Fox soon grew to be a favourite of George II as well, by the early 1750s, Fox and Pitt were both viewed as likely future leaders of the country. This pushed their rivalry to yet further lengths, Fox through his office as War Secretary was closer to the top office while Pitt languished in opposition. In 1754, the death of Pelham brought their rivalry to a head. The new Prime Minister, Pelhams brother, the Duke of Newcastle and this job would command immense prestige and influence, and Pitt and Fox were considered the outstanding favourites to attain it. Newcastle, fearing the ambitions of both men, ultimately chose neither and instead selected Sir Thomas Robinson
25.
Windsor (UK Parliament constituency)
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Windsor /ˈwɪnzə/ is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2005 by Adam Afriyie of the Conservative Party. The constituency covers the town of Windsor and various portions of the surrounding area, 1868–1918, The boundaries of the parliamentary borough were extended by the Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1868. Between 1885–1918 the seat to the north of the Thames was the Wycombe division of Buckinghamshire, 1918–1950, The parliamentary borough was abolished and replaced by a county division named Windsor. 1997–2010, In 1997 the Windsor constituency was recreated to sever off the town of Maidenhead to the northwest. Instead Windsor was joined by Eton and part of Slough Borough Council north of the Thames, wards were, from the Borough of Bracknell Forest, Ascot, Cranbourne and St Marys, from the Borough of Slough, Foxborough ward. In local elections the opposition party has been the Liberal Democrats. Affluent villages and small towns along the River Thames and around the Great Park have continued to contribute to large Conservative majorities, from Wraysbury to Ascot. Containing one of the least social welfare-dependent demographics and among the highest property prices, at the 2010 election, only two areas voted more strongly towards the Conservative Party, Richmond foremost followed by Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire. Windsor has had parliamentary representation for centuries, first sending a member in 1301 and it elected two members of parliament until 1868, when the constituency was reformed and its representation reduced to one MP. In 1974, the constituency was abolished and a one, Windsor. However, in 1997 the constituency was recreated, the early political history of the area was strongly influenced by the monarch and members of his or her family. Windsor Castle has been an important royal residence throughout the history of the constituency, the pre-1832 franchise of the borough was held by inhabitants paying scot and lot. On 2 May 1689 the House of Commons had decided that the electorate should be limited to the members of Windsor Corporation and this was disputed after the next election, in 1690, when the Mayor submitted two returns of different members. The House of Commons reversed the decision of the previous Parliament, there were 278 electors in 1712. Namier and Brooke estimated that, in 1754–1790, there were about 300 electors, during part of the 18th century the Duke of Cumberland and the Beauclerk family had political interests in the borough. King George III became personally involved in the hotly contested 1780 general election, George encouraged local landowner Peniston Portlock Powney to stand by paying him £2,500 from the Kings personal account. The King wished to defeat Admiral Keppel, an incumbent, the monarch went so far as to canvass tradesmen who dealt with the royal household. After this royal interference in the election, Keppel lost by a narrow 16 votes, Namier and Brooke suggest the Windsor electorate had an independent streak and were difficult to manage
26.
William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham
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William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, PC, FRS was a British statesman of the Whig group who led the government of Great Britain twice in the middle of the 18th century. Historians call him Pitt of Chatham, or William Pitt the Elder to distinguish from his son, William Pitt the Younger, Pitt was also known as The Great Commoner, because of his long-standing refusal to accept a title until 1766. Pitt was a member of the British cabinet and its leader from 1756 to 1761. He again led the ministry, holding the title of Lord Privy Seal. Much of his power came from his brilliant oratory, Peters argues his statesmanship was based on a clear, consistent, and distinct appreciation of the value of the Empire. The British parliamentary historian Peter D. G, Thomas argues that Pitts power was based not on his family connections but the extraordinary parliamentary skills by which he dominated the House of Commons. He displayed a commanding manner, brilliant rhetoric, and sharp debating skills that cleverly utilized broad literary and historical knowledge. Pitt was the grandson of Thomas Pitt, the governor of Madras, known as Diamond Pitt for having discovered and this transaction, as well as other trading deals in India, established the Pitt family fortune. He made further purchases and became one of the dominant political figures in the West Country controlling seats such as the rotten borough of Old Sarum. Williams father was Robert Pitt, the eldest son of Governor Pitt and his mother was Harriet Villiers, the daughter of Edward Villiers-FitzGerald and the Irish heiress Katherine FitzGerald. Both Williams paternal uncles Thomas and John were MPs, while his aunt Lucy married the leading Whig politician, William Pitt was born at Golden Square, Westminster, on 15 November 1708. His older brother Thomas Pitt had been born in 1704, there were also five sisters, Harriet, Catherine, Ann, Elizabeth, and Mary. From 1719 William was educated at Eton College along with his brother, William disliked Eton, later claiming that a public school might suit a boy of turbulent disposition but would not do where there was any gentleness. It was at school that Pitt began to suffer from gout, in 1726 Governor Pitt died, and the family estate at Boconnoc passed to Williams father. When he died the year, Boconnoc was inherited by Williams elder brother. In January 1727, William was entered as a commoner at Trinity College. There is evidence that he was a reader, if not a minutely accurate classical scholar. William diligently cultivated the faculty of expression by the practice of translation and re-translation, in these years he became a close friend of George Lyttelton, who would later become a leading politician
27.
Bath (UK Parliament constituency)
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Bath is a constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom represented by Ben Howlett of the Conservative Party. Perhaps its best-known representatives have been the two with international profiles, William Pitt the Elder and Chris Patten, Bath is an ancient constituency which has been constantly represented in Parliament since boroughs were first summoned to send members in the 13th century. Bath was one of the cities summoned to send members in 1295 and represented ever since, like almost all English constituencies before the Great Reform Act of 1832, it originally returned two members to each Parliament. The precise way in which its MPs were chosen in medieval times is unknown, but in Bath, the Common Council retained its independence in most periods and took pride in electing suitable MPs who either had strong local connections or a national reputation. Nor was there any suggestion of bribery or other corruption, prolific in other independent constituencies, but Pitts influence also waned when he fell out with the Council over the Treaty of Paris. In the final years before the Reform Act, however, local magnates exerted more influence in Bath. Palmer had succeeded as MP Earl Camden who held one of the nominations before 1802, at the time of the Reform Act, the Marquess of Bath was still being listed as influencing one of the seats, though the second was considered independent once more. The Great Reform Act opened up the franchise to all resident householders whose houses were valued at least £10 a year, the constituency boundaries were also slightly extended, but only to take in those areas where the city proper had filled. The franchise was reformed in 1867 and 1885 with only minor boundary changes. Bath was lucky to retain double-member representation in the 1885 reforms – its electorate of under 7,000 was near the lower limit, a situation that lasted until 1918 reforms. The continued Liberal strength was unusual for a prosperous and predominantly middle-class town, baths representation was reduced to a single member in 1918. From 1945 to 1975 Bath Labour presented the main challengers came within 800 votes of taking the seat in 1966. The Liberal revival in the 1970s saw the two more left-wing parties swap places, helped by the adoption of a nationally known candidate, the formation of the SDP–Liberal Alliance made Bath a realistic target. The SDP came 1500 votes from winning in 1987 under Malcolm Dean, at each election since 1992 a different [Conservative candidate has taken second place. After winning two intervening elections, in 2010 Foster achieved his highest majority to date of 11,883 votes and this result followed the trend in the south-west led by the election performance of Nick Clegg and reflects a loss of the villages mentioned. Bath is one of only two UK Parliament constituencies to be surrounded by another constituency, Bath is entirely surrounded by the North East Somerset constituency. The other constituency, York Central, is surrounded by York Outer. Between 1997 and 2010, it included some outlying villages such as Southstoke
28.
George Grenville
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George Grenville, PC was a British Whig statesman who rose to the position of Prime Minister of Great Britain. Grenville was born into a political family and first entered Parliament in 1741 as an MP for Buckingham. He emerged as one of Cobhams Cubs, a group of members of Parliament associated with Lord Cobham. In 1754 Grenville became Treasurer of the Navy, a position he held twice until 1761, in October 1761 he chose to stay in government and accepted the new role of Leader of the Commons causing a rift with his brother-in-law and political ally William Pitt who had resigned. Grenville was subsequently made Northern Secretary and First Lord of the Admiralty by the new Prime Minister Lord Bute, on 8 April 1763, Lord Bute resigned, and Grenville assumed his position as Prime Minister. His government tried to bring public spending under control and pursued a foreign policy. His best known policy is the Stamp Act, a tax in Great Britain onto the colonies in America. Grenville had increasingly strained relations with his colleagues and the King and in 1765 he was dismissed by George III, for the last five years of his life Grenville led a group of his supporters in opposition and staged a public reconciliation with Pitt. George Grenville was born at Wotton House on 14 October 1712 and he was the second son of Richard Grenville and Hester Temple. He was one of five brothers, all of whom became MPs and his sister Hester Grenville married the leading political figure William Pitt. His elder brother was Richard Grenville, later the 2nd Earl Temple and it was intended by his parents that George Grenville should become a lawyer. Grenville received his education at Eton College and at Christ Church, Oxford and he entered Parliament in 1741 as one of the two members for Buckingham, and continued to represent that borough for the next twenty-nine years until his death. He was disappointed to be giving up what appeared to be a legal career for the uncertainties of opposition politics. In Parliament he subscribed to the Boy Patriot party, which opposed Sir Robert Walpole, in December 1744 he became a Lord of the Admiralty in the administration of Henry Pelham. He allied himself with his brother Richard and with William Pitt in forcing Pelham to give them promotion by rebelling against his authority, in June 1747, Grenville became a Lord of the Treasury. In 1754 Grenville was made Treasurer of the Navy and Privy Councillor, opposition to European entanglements was a cornerstone of Patriot Whig thinking. He and Pitt joined the opposition, haranguing the Newcastle government, Grenville and Pitt both championed the formation of a British militia to provide additional security rather than the deployment of Hessian mercenaries favoured by the government. As the military situation deteriorated following the loss of Minorca, the government grew increasingly weak until it was forced to resign in Autumn 1756, Pitt then formed a government led by the Duke of Devonshire
29.
Buckingham (UK Parliament constituency)
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Buckingham /ˈbʌkɪŋm̩/ is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 1997 by John Bercow, who later became Speaker of the House of Commons. 1885–1918, The Municipal Borough of Buckingham, the Sessional Divisions of Ashendon, Buckingham, Newport, and Stony Stratford, and part of the Sessional Division of Winslow. 1950–1974, The Municipal Borough of Buckingham, the Urban Districts of Bletchley, Linslade, Newport Pagnell, and Wolverton, and the Rural Districts of Buckingham, Newport Pagnell, Wing, and Winslow. 1974–1983, The Municipal Borough of Buckingham, the Urban Districts of Bletchley, Newport Pagnell, and Wolverton, and the Rural Districts of Buckingham, Newport Pagnell, Wing, and Winslow. The constituency takes up a part of central Buckinghamshire, covering much of the Aylesbury Vale district including the town of Buckingham. To the north, the part of ceremonial Buckinghamshire forms two Borough of Milton Keynes constituencies. The seat has sent MPs since 1542 — its standard double representation was halved in 1868, in the twentieth century, the constituency was held by the Conservative Party for most of the time. However, a Labour Party MP served Buckingham from 1945 until 1951, Aidan Crawley, before the periodic review effected in 1983, the new town of Milton Keynes, including its older parts such as Bletchley and Fenny Stratford was in the constituency. The review followed the previous national review in 1974 and recognised the large increase in electorate in the seat, the sitting Buckingham MP William Benyon stood for the then-created Milton Keynes constituency where he was elected. The residual seat was won in 1983 by Conservative George Walden, Walden retired in 1997, and John Bercow won the following general elections in 2001,2005,2010 and 2015. Constituency created 1 In both 2015 and 2010, John Bercow stood as The Speaker seeking re-election, list of Parliamentary constituencies in Buckinghamshire Notes References Sources Iain Dale, ed. The Times House of Commons 1929,1931,1935, the Times House of Commons 1945. The Times House of Commons 1950, the Times House of Commons 1955. Nomis Constituency Profile for Buckingham — presenting data from the ONS annual population survey and other official statistics
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