This document summarizes the separation of powers and key institutions in the British government. It outlines that legislative power lies with Parliament, executive power with the government, and judicial power with the courts. Parliament is comprised of the House of Commons, House of Lords, and Monarch. The government is formed by the ruling party in Commons. Courts, headed by the Supreme Court, interpret the law.

1. • The Legislative Power: makes the law (ie.
Debates, votes and passes new laws)
• The Judicial Power: interprets the law (ie.
Decides what punishment should be given for
those that break the law)
• The Executive Power: implements and enforces
the law (ie. Makes sure that the decisions of the
legislature are carried out)

2. • The Legislative Power : Parliament
(House of Commons, House of Lords, the
Monarch)
•The Executive : the government (the
party or coalition with a majority in the
Commons)
•The Judiciary : the judges and especially
the Supreme Court

3. Monarch
(predominantly representative
Function)
Supreme Court
(since 2009)
House of
Lords
House of
Commons
Government
Prime
Minister
Nation
(electorate)
Partiament
elects
elects
can
dissolve
appoints aristocrats
can dissolve appoints
appoints justices
Legistative
Executive
Judiciary
Separation of powers
appoints
Parliamentary monarchy in the United Kingdom

4. What the Queen Can Do
• Her picture appears on postage stamps, but
her personal mail is franked.
• She can drive as fast as she likes in a car
which needs no license number.
• She can confer Britain’s highest civilian
decoration, the Order of Merit—one honour
in which the Sovereign retains freedom of
choice.

5. What the Queen Can’t Do
• Her Majesty cannot vote.
• Nor can she express her political opinion in
public.
• The Queen cannot sit in the House of
Commons (building royal property).
• She cannot write her own speech.
• The Queen cannot refuse to sign a bill, and
she cannot appear as a witness in court.

6. The Queen’s role
• Constitutional Arbitration – In times of Crisis
• Stability –1,000 years of Sovereignty
• Continuity –helps to bridge the discontinuities of party
politics
• Experience –reading state papers, meeting heads of
state and ambassadors, and weekly audiences with Prime
Ministers
• Uniting the Nation with the State –combination
of the role as Head of State and Head of the Nation.

7. The Queen’s role (2)
• Unity: Party politics = disagreement and confrontation.
(rich vs poor, north vs south, management vs unions,
Catholic vs Protestant…)
• Moral Leadership & Model Behaviour
• Custodianship of the Past – Through its ceremony,
pageantry and ritual, the monarchy preserves the link with
Britain’s history

8. • BACK TO YOUR DETAILED OUTLINES!
The Constitutional Powers of the Monarch

9. The British Constitution
• A constitution is a set of laws on how a
country is governed.
• The British Constitution is unwritten
• It is referred to as an uncodified constitution.
• Amendments to constitution are made by a
majority support in both Houses of Parliament
to be followed by the Royal Assent.

10. Sources of the Constitution:
• Statutes such as the Magna Carta of 1215 and
the Act of Settlement of 1701.
• Laws and Customs of Parliament;
• Political conventions
• Decisions in a court of law
• Constitutional experts who have written on
the subject such as Walter Bagehot and A.V
Dicey.

11. Principles of the Constitution
• Two basic principles govern the Constitution:
• The Rule of Law
• The Supremacy of Parliament

12. For or Against
• Pros: Flexibility and change
• Cons: no public access– Only constitutional
experts know where to look and how to
interpret it.

14. PASSAGE OF A BILL
House of Commons
House of Lords
House of Lords
House of Lords
3RC21
1 2 C R 31 2 C R 3
3RC21
Royal Assent
Bill starting in the
House of Lords
Bill starting in the
House of
Commons
Royal Assent
Firstreading
Secondreading
CommittreestageThirdreading
Reportstage
FirstreadingSecondreading
CommittreestageThirdreading
Reportstage
A
A
Considerationof
amendments
Britain