Britain is a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional Monarch. The House of Commons and the House of Lords, together with the Monarch, make up Parliament. Parliament passes laws, approves taxation and debates the major issues of the day. The prime minister heads the government and appoints ministers, who head individual government departments.

The House of Commons, the center of Parliamentary power, has 659 elected members of Parliament (MPs), each representing a local constituency.

While represented in Parliament at Westminster, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland also have their own devolved administrations.

Additional information on Britain’s system of government, as well as extensive links, is available on the 10 Downing Street web site.