United Kingdom » Politics

The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy, with executive power exercised on behalf of the monarch by the prime minister and other cabinet ministers who head departments. The cabinet, including the prime minister, and other ministers collectively make up Her Majesty's Government.

The monarch is an integral part of Parliament (as the "Crown-in-Parliament") and theoretically gives Parliament the power to meet and create legislation. An Act of Parliament does not become law until it has been signed by the monarch (known as Royal Assent), although not one has refused assent to a bill that has been approved by Parliament since Queen Anne in 1708. Although the abolition of the monarchy has been suggested, the popularity of the monarchy remains strong in the United Kingdom. Support for a British republic usually fluctuates between 15% and 25% of the population, with roughly 10% undecided or indifferent. The current monarch is Queen Elizabeth II who acceded to the throne in 1952 and was crowned in 1953.

Though many in the United Kingdom consider themselves 'British' as well as 'English', 'Scottish' 'Welsh', or 'Irish' (and increasingly also 'Afro-Caribbean', 'Indian', or 'Pakistani'), there has long been a widespread sense of separate national identities in the nations of Scotland and Wales and amongst the Catholic community in Northern Ireland.

There is currently little appetite for a devolved English parliament, although senior Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have voiced concerns in regard to the West Lothian Question. Proposals for English regional government have stalled, following a poorly received referendum on devolved government for the North East of England, which was hitherto considered the region most in favour of the idea. England is therefore governed according to the balance of parties across the whole of the United Kingdom.

In early 2007, in line with reporting on English and Scottish attitudes towards the Act of Union, two polls, one for the Sunday Times of the 14th January 2007 and another poll, shown on BBC News at Ten on the 15th January both showed a vast majority in both countries favouring the retention of the union. Indeed, while support for breaking up the UK was strongest in Scotland, there was still a clear lead for unionism over nationalism. In Northern Ireland, there has been a significant decrease in violence over the last twenty years, though the situation remains tense, with the more hard-line parties such as Sinn Féin and the Democratic Unionists now holding the most parliamentary seats.

Tony Blair of the Labour Party served as the Prime Minister of the British Parliament from 1997 till he stepped down from the office in June, 2007.

On 27 June 2007, Gordon Brown succeeded Tony Blair and became the prime minister, at the age of 56, having been the chancellor throughout Tony Blair's 10 years in power.