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ReadChapter 5

The UK Government, the Law and your Role

5.2.3 System of government

The system of government in the UK is a parliamentary democracy. The UK is divided into parliamentary constituencies. Voters in each constituency elect their member of Parliament (MP) in a General Election. All of the elected MPs form the House of Commons. Most MPs belong to a political party, and the party with the majority of MPs forms the government. If one party does not get a majority, two parties can join together to form a coalition.

The Houses of Parliament, one of the centres of political life in the UK and a World Heritage Site
The Houses of Parliament, one of the centres of political life in the UK and a World Heritage SiteThe wub / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA-4.0

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. View licence.

© Crown copyright. Source text from Life in the United Kingdom: A Guide for New Residents (3rd edition, 2013), reproduced verbatim under OGL v3.0.