United Kingdom

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of the United Kingdom

Government Sovereign Queen Elizabeth II The Crown The Privy Council Cabinet Prime Minister Gordon Brown MP Chancellor Alistair Darling MP Foreign Secretary David Miliband MP Home Secretary Jacqui Smith MP Justice Secretary Jack Straw MP Full list of members Parliament State Opening of Parliament Act of Parliament House of Lords Lord Speaker Baroness Hayman House of Commons Speaker Michael Martin MP Leader Harriet Harman MP Prime Minister's Questions Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition Leader David Cameron MP Shadow Cabinet Judiciary Courts of the United Kingdom Courts of England and Wales Courts of Northern Ireland Courts of Scotland Constitution Human rights Constituent countries Politics of England English Regional Assemblies Greater London Authority Politics of Scotland Scottish Government Scottish Parliament Politics of Wales Welsh Assembly Government National Assembly for Wales Politics of Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Executive Northern Ireland Assembly Reserved matters Elections Parliament constituencies Political parties Last election Next election Foreign Policy Foreign relations Politics of the European Union

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In the politics of the United Kingdom, the Cabinet is a formal body composed of the most senior government ministers chosen by the Prime Minister. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The politics of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland takes place in the framework of a Constitutional monarchy, in which the Monarch is Head Her Majesty's Government, or when the monarch is male His Majesty's Government, is the title used by the Government of the United Kingdom, based at TalkCommonewalth realm.--> The monarchy For the ship see RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Context States headed by Elizabeth II Throughout the Commonwealth realms The Crown is an abstract metonymic concept which represents the legal authority for the existence of any government Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council is a body of advisors to the British Sovereign. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Academic titles --> James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951 is The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all Economic and Financial Alistair Maclean Darling (born 28 November 1953 is a British Politician and Chancellor of the Exchequer since 28 June 2007 The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly referred to as the Foreign Secretary, is a member of the United Kingdom Government heading the David Wright Miliband The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the United Kingdom Home Office Jacqueline Jill "Jacqui" Smith (born 3 November 1962 is a British Politician for the Labour Party. See also Lord Chancellor The Secretary of State for Justice is a United Kingdom cabinet position John Whitaker Straw (born 3 August 1946 most commonly known as Jack Straw, is a senior British Labour Party Politician. Gordon Brown is currently serving as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories In the United Kingdom, the State Opening of Parliament is an annual event held usually in October or November that marks the commencement of a session of the Parliament This article discusses types of Acts and the process of law-making in Parliament The House of Lords is the second house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is also commonly referred to as "the Lords" The Lord Speaker is the speaker of the House of Lords in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Helene Valerie Hayman Baroness Hayman, PC, née Middleweek (born 26 March 1949 in Wolverhampton) is Lord Speaker of the House of Lords The House of Commons' is the Lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords Michael John Martin MP (born 3 July 1945 is the current Speaker of the House of Commons in the United Kingdom. The Leader of the House of Commons is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Commons Harriet Ruth Harman Prime Minister's Questions ( PMQs) (officially Questions to the Prime Minister) is a constitutional convention in the United Kingdom, where every Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition, or the Official Opposition, in the United Kingdom is led by the Leader of the Opposition. The Leader of the Opposition (sometimes known as the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons) in the United Kingdom is the politician who leads David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966 is a British Politician and the current leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of Her Majesty's In British parliamentary practice the Official Loyal Opposition Shadow Cabinet (usually known simply as 'The Shadow Cabinet' is a group of members from Her Majesty's Loyal The United Kingdom does not have a single unified Judicial system, but separate judicial systems serving England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Her Majesty's Courts of Justice of England and Wales are the civil and criminal Courts responsible for the administration of Justice in England The courts of Northern Ireland are the civil and criminal Courts responsible for the administration of Justice in Northern Ireland: The civil, criminal and heraldic Courts of Scotland are responsible for the administration of Justice. The constitution of the United Kingdom is the set of laws and principles under which the United Kingdom is governed The United Kingdom has a long and established tradition of avowed respect for its subjects' Human rights. Constituent country is a phrase used often by official institutions in contexts in which a country makes up a part of a larger entity or grouping Political history Pre-Union politics See also Parliament of England The English Parliament traces its origins to the Anglo-Saxon " Regional Assembly " is the name which has been adopted by the English bodies established as regional chambers under the Regional Development Agencies The Greater London Authority ( GLA) is the city-wide governing body for London, England. Current situation The largest party is the Scottish National Party, which campaigns for Scottish independence. The Scottish Government (SG ( Scottish Gaelic: Riaghaltas na h-Alba) is the executive arm of the government of Scotland. The Scottish Parliament ( Scottish Gaelic: Pàrlamaid na h-Alba; Scots: Scottish Pairlament) is the devlolved national unicameral The emergence of a Welsh polity During the latter part of the 19th century and early part of the 20th century the notion of a distinctive Welsh polity gained credence The Welsh Assembly Government (WAG (Llywodraeth Cynulliad Cymru LlCC) was firstly an executive body of the National Assembly for Wales, consisting of The National Assembly for Wales (Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. General demographics Population 1685267 The population of Northern Ireland has increased annually since 1978 The Northern Ireland Executive is the executive arm of the Northern Ireland Assembly, the devolved Legislature for Northern Ireland The Northern Ireland Assembly ( Irish: Tionól Thuaisceart Éireann, Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann Semmlie) is the devolved For other meanings see Reserved powers disambiguation page In the United Kingdom reserved matters, also referred to as reserved The United Kingdom has five distinct types of Elections UK general elections elections to national/regional parliaments and assemblies elections to the European Parliament This is a list of the 646 constituencies currently represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, as at the 2005 general election This is a list of political parties in the United Kingdom. Brief history and overview Prior to the mid-19th century Politics in the United Kingdom Results Overview For events leading up to the date of the election see article Pre-election day events of the United Kingdom general Leadership of the main parties David Cameron became Conservative leader in December 2005 replacing Michael Howard. The United Kingdom (UK is a key player in international politics with interests throughout the world The European Union is a unique entity possessing elements of Intergovernmentalism, Supranationalism and a Multi-party Parliamentary democracy Information on politics by country is available for every Country, including both De jure and De facto independent The politics of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland takes place in the framework of a Constitutional monarchy, in which the Monarch is Head Her Majesty's Government, or when the monarch is male His Majesty's Government, is the title used by the Government of the United Kingdom, based at A minister or a secretary is a Politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional Government. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom Most members are heads of government departments with the title "Secretary of State". Her Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom contains a number of Ministers and Secretaries of State. In the United Kingdom, a Secretary of State is a Cabinet Minister in charge of a Government Department (though not all departments are headed Formal members of the Cabinet are drawn exclusively from the House of Commons and the House of Lords. A cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of Government, typically representing the executive branch. The House of Commons' is the Lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords The House of Lords is the second house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is also commonly referred to as "the Lords"

In traditional constitutional theory, in the British system of government, the Cabinet is the key formal decision-making body of the executive. The Westminster system is a democratic Parliamentary system of Government modelled after the British government (the Parliament of the United In Political science and Constitutional law, the executive is the branch of government responsible for the day-to-day management of the State. This interpretation was originally put across in the work of nineteenth century constitutionalists such as Walter Bagehot (who described the Cabinet as the 'efficient secret' of the British political system in his book 'The English Constitution'). The English Constitution is a Book by Walter Bagehot. Written in 1867, it explores the Constitution of the United Kingdom The political and decision-making authority of the cabinet has been gradually reduced over the last several decades, with some claiming its role has been usurped by a "Prime-Ministerial" (i. e. more "presidential") government.

Originally, the Cabinet technically served as a sub-committee to the Privy Council. Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council is a body of advisors to the British Sovereign. However, the modern Cabinet system was set up by Prime Minister David Lloyd George during his premiership of 1916-22, with a Cabinet Office and Secretariat, committee structures, Minutes, and a clearer relationship with departmental Cabinet Ministers. David Lloyd George 1st Earl Lloyd George of Dwyfor OM, PC (17 January 1863 &ndash 26 March 1945 was a British Statesman and the only The Cabinet Office is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for supporting the Prime Minister and Cabinet of the United This development grew out of the exigencies of the First World War, where faster and better co-ordinated decisions across Government were seen as crucial part of the war effort. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Lloyd George himself once said, "War is too important to be left to the generals. "

Decisions on mass conscription, co-ordination world-wide with other governments across international theatres, armament production tied into a general war strategy that could be developed and overseen from an inner "War Cabinet", 10 Downing Street, are all clear elements retained today. Conscription (also known as the draft, the call-up or national service) is a general term for involuntary labor demanded by some established authority A War Cabinet is a committee formed by a government in time of war As the country went through successive crises after the 1922-1926 General Strike, the Great Depression of 1929-32; the rise of communist Bolshevism after 1917 and Fascism after 1922; the Spanish Civil War 1936 onwards; the invasion of Abyssinia 1936; the League of Nations Crisis which followed; the re-armament and resurgence of Germany from 1933, plus the lead into another World War - all demanded a highly organized and centralized Government based around the Cabinet. A general strike is a Strike action by a critical mass of the labour force in a city region or country The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists ( Большевик Большевист (singular, derived from bolshe, "more" were a faction Fascism is a totalitarian nationalist and corporatist ideology The Spanish Civil War was a major conflict in Spain that started after an attempted Coup d'état committed by parts of the army against the government of NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including

This centralization inevitably enhanced the power of the Prime Minister, who moved from being the primus inter pares of the Asquith Cabinets of 1906 onwards, with a glittering set of huge individual talents leading powerful departments, to the dominating figures of Lloyd George, Stanley Baldwin and Winston Churchill. David Lloyd George 1st Earl Lloyd George of Dwyfor OM, PC (17 January 1863 &ndash 26 March 1945 was a British Statesman and the only Stanley Baldwin 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC (3 August 1867 &ndash 14 December 1947 was a British Conservative politician statesman and major Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC, PC (Can ( 30 November 1874

Contents 1 Historical 2 Composition 3 Meetings of the Cabinet 4 Relationship with Parliament 5 Shadow Cabinet 6 Current cabinet 7 References 8 See also 9 External links

Historical

In England, phrases such as "cabinet counsel", meaning advice given in private, in a cabinet in the sense of a small room, to the monarch, occur from the late 16th century, and, given the non-standardized spelling of the day, it is often hard to distinguish whether "council" or "counsel" is meant. A cabinet was one of a number of terms for a private room in the Domestic architecture and that of Palaces of Early Modern Europe, serving as ^[1] The OED credits Francis Bacon in his Essays (1605) with the first use of "Cabinet council", where it is described as a foreign habit, of which he disapproves: "For which inconveniences, the doctrine of Italy, and practice of France, in some kings’ times, hath introduced cabinet counsels; a remedy worse than the disease". The Oxford English Dictionary ( OED) published by the Oxford University Press (OUP is a comprehensive Dictionary of the English Francis Bacon 1st Viscount St Alban KC QC (22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626 was an English Philosopher, Statesman, and author ^[2] Charles I began a formal "Cabinet Council" from his accession in 1625, as his Privy Council, or "private council", was evidently not private enough, and the first recorded use of "cabinet" by itself for such a body comes from 1644, and is again hostile and associates the term with dubious foreign practices. Charles I, (19 November 1600 &ndash 30 January 1649 was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution. A privy council is a body that advises the Head of state of a nation on how to exercise their executive authority, typically but not always in the context of a ^[3] The process has repeated itself in recent times, as leaders have felt the need to have a Kitchen Cabinet. Kitchen cabinets are the built-in Furniture installed in many kitchens for storage of Food, Cooking equipment, and often Silverware and

Since the reign of King George I the Cabinet has been the principal executive group of British government. George I (George Louis German Georg Ludwig; 28 May 1660 &ndash 11 June 1727 For the first year of his life George was the only heir to his father's and three childless Both he and George II made use of the system, as both were non-native English speakers, unfamiliar with British politics, and thus relied heavily on groups of advisors. George II (George Augustus 10 November 1683 &ndash 25 October 1760 was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg ( English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States The name and institution have been adopted by most English-speaking countries, and the Council of Ministers or similar bodies of other countries are often informally referred to as cabinets.

The term "minister" came into being since the English sovereign's ministers "ministered" the will of the king. In this period, the English monarch was an absolute monarch, and as such directly exercised all of the executive powers of the realm.

Composition

The monarch uses royal prerogative powers to appoint and dismiss members of Cabinet. TalkCommonewalth realm.--> The monarchy The Royal Prerogative is a body of customary authority privilege and immunity recognised in Common law and sometimes in Civil law jurisdictions possessing a monarchy By constitutional convention the monarch exercises these powers in accordance with the Prime Minister's advice. Alternative meaning Constitutional convention (political meeting A constitutional convention is an informal and uncodified procedural agreement that is The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom

Any change to the composition of the Cabinet involving more than one appointment is customarily referred to as a reshuffle. In the Parliamentary system a cabinet shuffle or reshuffle is an informal term for an event that occurs when a Head of government rotates or changes the The total number of ministers allowed to be paid as "Cabinet ministers" (22) is governed by statute (Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975), and this has caused successive Prime Ministers problems, and accounts for some of the unusual regular attendees at Cabinet, who are not paid as "Cabinet ministers". A statute is a formal written enactment of a Legislative authority that governs a Country, State, City, or County. The numbers often fluctuate between 21 and 24.

The Cabinet has always been led by the Prime Minister, although the role of the Prime Minister is traditionally described as primus inter pares, first among equals, though clearly this is a nominal status rather than a reality—after all, it is the Prime Minister alone who appoints/dismisses Cabinet Ministers and sets the agenda for Cabinet individually and through the Cabinet Secretary. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom Primus inter pares ( Latin) or First among equals is a phrase which indicates that a person is the most senior of a group of people A Cabinet Secretary is almost always a senior official (almost always a civil servant who provides services and advice to a Cabinet of Ministers. The extent to which the Prime Minister is collegial depends on political conditions and individual personalities.

In formal constitutional terms, the Cabinet is a committee of the Privy Council. The constitution of the United Kingdom is the set of laws and principles under which the United Kingdom is governed Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council is a body of advisors to the British Sovereign. All Cabinet members are created Privy Councillors on appointment and therefore use the style "The Right Honourable". The Right Honourable (abbreviated as The Rt Hon) is an Honorific prefix that is traditionally applied to certain As members of the House of Lords are "The Right Honourable" or hold a higher style as of right, Privy Councillors in the Lords place the letters "PC" after their names to distinguish themselves. Forms of address used in the United Kingdom are given below Several terms have been abbreviated in the table below

Recent custom has been that the composition of the Cabinet has been made up almost entirely of members of the House of Commons. The House of Commons' is the Lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords The office of Leader of the House of Lords is a member of the House of Lords, but apart from this one post it is now rare for a peer to sit in the Cabinet. Leader of the House of Lords is a function in the British government that is always held in combination with a formal Cabinet position most often Lord President The role of Lord Chancellor was, until recently, always occupied by a member of the House of Lords, however since the creation of the office of Lord Speaker this is no longer necessary and the current post holder is Jack Straw, a member of the House of Commons. The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor is a senior and important functionary in the Government of the United Kingdom. The Lord Speaker is the speaker of the House of Lords in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. John Whitaker Straw (born 3 August 1946 most commonly known as Jack Straw, is a senior British Labour Party Politician. A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. The former Leader of the Lords, Lady Amos, was the last peer to sit in any other Cabinet post, as Secretary of State for International Development from May to October 2003. Valerie Ann Amos Baroness Amos, PC (born 13 March 1954) is a British Labour Party Politician and Life peer, In the United Kingdom, the Secretary of State for International Development is a Cabinet minister responsible for promoting development overseas and for the The last Secretary of State for a major department drawn from the Lords was Lord Young of Graffham, serving between 1985 and 1989 as Secretary of State for Employment until 1987 and Secretary of State for Trade and Industry until 1989. Secretary of State is a commonly used title for a Government Official. David Ivor Young Baron Young of Graffham, PC DL (born February 27, 1932) is a retired British Conservative politician and businessman The Secretary of State for Employment was a position in the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. The Secretary of State for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (formerly the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry before the June 28, 2007 Interestingly, the number of junior ministers who are peers has increased since 1997, though being a peer can be a block to Cabinet-advancement.

A small number of other ministers below Secretary of State level may also be included in Cabinet meetings as a matter of course. The Attorney General (currently Baroness Scotland), together with the chair of the governing parliamentary party, are customarily included and other members of the Government can be invited at the Prime Minister's discretion. In most Common law jurisdictions the Attorney General, or Attorney-General, is the main legal advisor to the government and in some jurisdictions may in addition Patricia Janet Scotland Baroness Scotland of Asthal, PC, QC (born 19 August 1955) is a Barrister and the current Attorney General

In recent years, non-members of HM Government have been permitted by the Prime Minister to attend Cabinet meetings on a regular basis, notably Alastair Campbell in his capacity as Director of Communications and Strategy between 1997 and 2003, and Jonathan Powell, Tony Blair's Chief of Staff, with a distinctly separate role from the Cabinet Secretary/Head of the Civil Service. Her Majesty's Government, or when the monarch is male His Majesty's Government, is the title used by the Government of the United Kingdom, based at This is about the political associate of Tony Blair for others see Alistair Campbell (disambiguation. Public relations (PR is the practice of managing the flow of Information between an Organization and its Publics Public relations - often referred Jonathan Powell (born 1956 served as chief of staff to British Prime Minister Tony Blair from his election in 1997 until his resignation in 2007 Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to The position of Chief of Staff in the United Kingdom is an appointed position with the post being chosen by the Prime Minister. A Cabinet Secretary is almost always a senior official (almost always a civil servant who provides services and advice to a Cabinet of Ministers. See also Bureaucrat The term civil service has two distinct meanings Branch of governmental service in which individuals are hired on the basis

Meetings of the Cabinet

The Cabinet meets on a regular basis, usually weekly on a Tuesday morning, notionally to discuss the most important issues of government policy, and to make decisions. For a long period of time, Cabinet met on a Thursday, and it was only after the appointment of Gordon Brown as Prime Minister that the meeting day was switched to Tuesday. WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Academic titles --> James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951 is The length of meetings vary according to the style of the Prime Minister and political conditions, but today meetings can be as little as 30 minutes in length, which suggests ratification of decisions taken in committee, by informal groups, or in bi-lateral discussions between the Prime Minister and individual departmental Cabinet colleagues, with discussion in Cabinet itself somewhat curtailed.

The Cabinet has numerous sub-committees which focus on particular policy areas, particularly ones which cut across several ministerial responsibilities, and therefore need coordination. The executive arm of the United Kingdom government is controlled by the Cabinet, a group of senior government ministers chaired by the Prime Minister. These may be permanent committees or set up for a short duration to look at particular issues ("ad hoc committees"). Ad hoc is a Latin phrase which means "for this [ Purpose ]" Junior Ministers are also often members of these committees, in addition to Secretaries of State. Junior ministers are usually ministers of below cabinet rank such as Ministers of State and Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State in the UK The transaction of government business through meetings of the Cabinet and its many committees is administered by a small secretariat within the Cabinet Office. The Cabinet Office is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for supporting the Prime Minister and Cabinet of the United

Most Prime Ministers have had a so-called "kitchen cabinet" consisting of their own trusted advisers who may be Cabinet members but are often trusted personal advisers on their own staff. In recent governments (generally from Margaret Thatcher), and especially in that of Tony Blair, it has been reported that many, or even all major decisions have been said to be made before cabinet meetings. Margaret Hilda Thatcher Baroness Thatcher LG, OM, PC, FRS (born 13 October 1925 Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to This suggestion has been made by former ministers such as Clare Short and Chris Smith, in the media, and was made clear in the Butler Review, where Blair's style of "sofa government" was censured. Clare Short, PC, MP, (born 15 February 1946 is a British politician and a member of the British Labour Party. Christopher Robert "Chris" Smith Baron Smith of Finsbury PC (born 24 July 1951 is a British Labour Party politician and former Member of On February 3 2004, the British Government announced an inquiry into the intelligence relating to Iraq 's Weapons of mass destruction which played

Relationship with Parliament

Two key constitutional conventions regarding the accountability of the cabinet to Parliament exist, collective cabinet responsibility and individual ministerial responsibility. The House of Commons' is the Lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords

These are derived from the fact the members of the cabinet are members of Parliament, and therefore accountable to it, because Parliament is sovereign. TalkParliament#Screen-size. -->A  parliament is a Legislature, especially in those Parliamentary sovereignty, Sovereignty of Parliament, parliamentary supremacy, or legislative supremacy is a concept in Constitutional law Cabinet collective responsibility means that members of the cabinet make decisions collectively, and are therefore responsible for the consequences of these decisions collectively. Cabinet collective responsibility is constitutional convention in governments using the Westminster System that members of the Cabinet must publicly Therefore, when a vote of no confidence is passed in Parliament, every minister and government official drawn from Parliament is expected to resign from the executive. A motion of no confidence (also vote of no confidence, censure motion, no-confidence motion, or confidence motion) is a Parliamentary motion So, logically, cabinet ministers who disagree with major decisions are expected to resign, as, to take a recent example, Robin Cook did over the decision to attack Iraq in 2003. Robert Finlayson Cook (28 February 1946 &ndash 6 August 2005 better known as " Robin Cook " was a Politician in the British Labour For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics.

Individual ministerial responsibility is the convention that in their capacity as head of department, a minister is responsible for the actions, and therefore the failings too, of their department. Since the civil service is permanent and anonymous, under circumstances of gross incompetence in their department, a minister 'must' resign. See also Bureaucrat The term civil service has two distinct meanings Branch of governmental service in which individuals are hired on the basis Perhaps surprisingly, this is relatively rare in practice, perhaps because, whilst many would consider incompetence more harmful than personal scandal, it is of less interest to more populist elements of the media, and less susceptible to unequivocal proof. The closest example in recent years is perhaps Estelle Morris who resigned as Secretary of State for Education and Skills in 2002 of her own volition (following severe problems and inaccuracies in the marking of A-level exams). Estelle Morris Baroness Morris of Yardley PC (born 17 June 1952 Manchester) is a British Labour politician and member of the House of The Secretary of State for Education and Skills was the chief minister of the Department for Education and Skills in the United Kingdom government The A-level, short for Advanced Level, is a General Certificate of Education qualification in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, The circumstances under which this convention is followed are of course not possible to strictly define, and depend on many other factors. If a minister's reputation is seen to be tarnished by a personal scandal (for example when it was revealed that David Mellor had an extramarital affair) they very often resign. David John Mellor QC (born 12 March 1949 is a British Conservative Politician and Barrister, broadcaster journalist and football This often follows a short period of intense media and opposition pressure for them to do so. In general, despite numerous scandals, in Britain cases of serious corruption (e. g. acceptance of bribes) are relatively rare in comparison with many other democracies. One reason is because of the strength of the whip system and political parties in comparison to individual politicians. This means MPs and ministers have little capacity to be influenced by external groups offering money.

Questions can be tabled for Cabinet ministers in either house of Parliament (a process called interpellation in political science), which can either be for written or oral reply. Cabinet ministers must answer them, either themselves or through a deputy. Written answers, which are usually more specific and detailed than oral questions are usually written by a civil servant. See also Bureaucrat The term civil service has two distinct meanings Branch of governmental service in which individuals are hired on the basis Answers to written and oral questions are published in Hansard. Hansard is the traditional name for the printed transcripts of Parliamentary debates in the Westminster system of Government. Parliament cannot dismiss individual ministers (though members may of course call for their resignation) but the House of Commons is able to determine the fate of the entire Government. If a vote of no confidence in the Government passes, then The Queen will seek to restore confidence either by a dissolution of Parliament and the election of a new one, or by the acceptance of the resignation of her entire government collectively. A motion of no confidence (also vote of no confidence, censure motion, no-confidence motion, or confidence motion) is a Parliamentary motion

In the United Kingdom's parliamentary system, the executive is not separate from the legislature, since Cabinet members are drawn from Parliament. In Political science and Constitutional law, the executive is the branch of government responsible for the day-to-day management of the State. A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation Moreover the executive tends to dominate the legislature for several reasons:

• the first-past-the-post voting system (which tends to give a large majority to the governing party)
• the power of the Government Whips (whose role is to ensure party members vote in accordance with an agreed line)
• the "payroll vote" (a term which refers to the fact that members of parliament of the governing party will wish to be promoted to an executive position, and then be on the governments payroll). The plurality voting system is a Single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member A voting system allows voters to choose between options often in an Election where candidates are selected for public office. Whip is a role in party-based politics whose primary purpose is to ensure control of the formal decision-making process in a parliamentary legislature Payroll vote is a term in the British Parliamentary System for the office-holders paid or unpaid among a party's MPs or peers who are obliged either to
• Collective Ministerial Responsibility suggests that members of the government have to vote with the government on whipped votes, or else resign their position.

The combined effect of the Prime Minister's ability to control Cabinet by circumventing effective discussion in Cabinet and the executive's ability to dominate parliamentary proceedings places the British Prime Minister in a position of great power that has been likened to an elective dictatorship (a phrase coined by Lord Hailsham in 1976). The phrase elective dictatorship (also called executive dominance in Political science) was coined by the former Lord Chancellor of the United Kingdom Quintin McGarel Hogg Baron Hailsham of St Marylebone, KG, CH, PC, QC ( 9 October 1907 &ndash 12 October The relative impotence of Parliament to hold the Government of the day to account is often cited by the UK media as a justification for the vigour with which they question and challenge the Government.

In contemporary times, the nature of the cabinet has been criticized by some, largely because several Prime Ministers are perceived as acting in a "presidential" manner. Such an accusation was made at Tony Blair as he was believed to have refrained from using the Cabinet as a collective decision-making body. Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to ^[4] These actions caused concern as it contravened the convention of the PM being "first among equals". In this sense, he was acting like a US President, who (unlike the British PM) is not constitutionally bound to make decisions collectively with a cabinet. The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by Margaret Thatcher was also noted as being "presidential", in the capacity that she "forced" her own viewpoints onto her Cabinet. Margaret Hilda Thatcher Baroness Thatcher LG, OM, PC, FRS (born 13 October 1925 However the power that a Prime Minster has over his or her Cabinet colleagues is directly proportional to the amount of support that they have with their political parties and this is often related to whether the party considers them to be an electoral asset or liability. Further when a party is divided into factions a Prime Minister may be forced to include other powerful party members in the Cabinet for party political cohesion.

Shadow Cabinet

Main article: Shadow Cabinet

The Official Opposition (the party with the second largest number of elected members of Parliament, currently the Conservative Party) is headed by a similar group called the Shadow Cabinet. The Shadow Cabinet (also called the Shadow Front Bench) is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who together under the Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition, or the Official Opposition, in the United Kingdom is led by the Leader of the Opposition. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. The Shadow Cabinet (also called the Shadow Front Bench) is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who together under the

The parliamentary leadership of other opposition parties are conventionally known as their Frontbench Team, but in recent years the Liberal Democrat Party, currently the third-largest party in Parliament, have started to also use the term Shadow Cabinet. The Liberal Democrats are the third-largest Political party in the United Kingdom. The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems, are a liberal Political party in the United Kingdom, formed in 1988 by merging the ^[5]

Current cabinet

See also: Cabinet of the United Kingdom/Earlier cabinets

Following his appointment as Prime Minister, Gordon Brown announced his first Cabinet on 28 June 2007. WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Academic titles --> James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951 is Events 1098 - Fighters of the First Crusade defeat Kerbogha of Mosul. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. [edit table]

Portfolio	Minister
Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury Minister for the Civil Service Leader of the Labour Party	Gordon Brown MP
Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain Secretary of State for Justice	Jack Straw MP
Lord Privy Seal Leader of the House of Commons Minister for Women and Equality Deputy Leader of the Labour Party Party Chair	Harriet Harman MP
Chancellor of the Exchequer Second Lord of the Treasury	Alistair Darling MP
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs	David Miliband MP
Secretary of State for the Home Department	Jacqui Smith MP
Lord President of the Council Leader of the House of Lords	The Baroness Ashton of Upholland
Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform President of The Board of Trade	John Hutton MP
Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families	Ed Balls MP
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government	Hazel Blears MP
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport	Andy Burnham MP
Secretary of State for Defence Secretary of State for Scotland	Des Browne MP
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs	Hilary Benn MP
Secretary of State for Health	Alan Johnson MP
Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills	John Denham MP
Secretary of State for International Development	Douglas Alexander MP
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland	Shaun Woodward MP
Secretary of State for Transport	Ruth Kelly MP
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions	James Purnell MP
Secretary of State for Wales	Paul Murphy MP
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Minister for the Cabinet Office	Ed Miliband MP
Chief Secretary to the Treasury	Yvette Cooper MP
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury Chief Whip	Geoff Hoon MP
Office holders given special provisions to attend Cabinet
Minister for Housing	Caroline Flint MP
Minister for Africa, Asia and UN	The Lord Malloch-Brown
Minister for the Olympics Minister for London Paymaster General	Tessa Jowell MP
Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families Minister for the North West	Beverley Hughes MP
Lords Chief Whip Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms	Baroness Royall of Blaisdon
Attorney General of England and Wales	The Baroness Scotland of Asthal
Parliamentary Private Secretaries to the Prime Minister	Ian Austin MP Angela E Smith MP

Cabinet in this form from 24 January 2008

Source: www.pm.gov.uk

References

See also

• Cabinet (government)
• 10 Downing Street
• Her Majesty's Government
• Departments of the United Kingdom Government
• List of British ministries
• Category:Female members of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom

External links

• Cabinet Office website
• Cabinet Office - Ministerial Responsibilities
• 10 Downing Street - Her Majesty's Government (Cabinet members, listed in order of tenure in the Cabinet)
• 10 Downing Street - Full list of Her Majesty's Government (which includes various junior Ministers too)
• BBC news website - The Cabinet

A cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of Government, typically representing the executive branch. Her Majesty's Government, or when the monarch is male His Majesty's Government, is the title used by the Government of the United Kingdom, based at Her Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom contains a number of Ministers and Secretaries of State. These tables encompass the ministries, in the sense of successive governments rather than the ministries/departments of government of the United

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