Parliament, British

The British Parliament is the most powerful governing institution in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Parliament consists of two chambers, the more powerful House of Commons, elected by the British people, and the House of Lords, which includes both hereditary and appointed peers and leaders of the established Church of England. Parliament is a legislative body which debates the issues of the day and enacts law. While the hereditary monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II, serves as titular head of state and appoints the executive, led by the Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, she is guided in her appointments by the political realities in the House of Commons. There is no separation of powers as in the United States because Cabinet members are also Members of Parliament, most with seats in the House of Commons. A Cabinet gains and is sustained in office by its ability to command a majority in Commons.

Since there is no written British constitution, Parliament is the supreme organ of governmental power and leadership in the nation. In the absence of a judicial body to review parliamentary legislation, there are no legal restraints on Parliament's actions. It can make or change law, ignore customs and traditions, and even extend its life beyond the legislated fiveyear limit without consulting the electorate (as it did during World Wars I and II). In practice, however, Parliament rarely violates convention, customary practices, or the common law. Ultimately, of course, Commons is answerable to the electorate, which has the power to defeat members and end a party's majority. Britain is a functional democracy, but one without a written constitution or comprehensive bill of rights. The elected House of Commons is the central institution in that democracy, reflecting the will of the electorate and wielding power over both the legislative and executive functions of government.