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How The United Kingdom Is Governed

By Jim Sheng
MPs are elected through a system called 'first past the post'. In each constituency, the candidate who gets the most votes is elected. The government is then formed by the party which wins the majority of constituencies.

Elections to the European Parliament use a system of proportional representation, whereby seats are allocated to each party in proportion to the total votes it won.

If an MP dies or resigns, there will be another election, called a by-election.

The Whips are a small group of MPs appointed by their party leaders. They are responsible for discipline in their party.

Life Peers are appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister. The House of Lords  can become very important if the majority of its members will not agree to pass a law for which the House of Commons has voted. The House of Commons has powers to overrule the House of Lords, but these are very rarely used.

The official home of the Prime Minister is 10 Downing Street, but he also has a country house not far from London called Chequers.

[I wonder how can a country join the Commonwealth, is it possible that Queen Elizabeth II become the Head of State of China? We overthrew Qing Dynasty and lost our King. How I miss a royal family! ]

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