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the Civil Service. The role is taken by the leader of the party who gained most seats in the previous general election.

Despite the Sovereign being the head of the armed forces for example, it is the Prime Minister who decides when and where to send the troops into action. The justification for delegation of power is that the Prime Minister is appointed through democratic means rather than the hereditary process.

The Cabinet

The Cabinet consists of between 20 and 24 senior ministers of each department (Secretary of State) to formulate policy and decide on priorities. They are bound by what is called collective responsibility which means that once a decision has been made all Cabinet members are expected to support the decision or policy in public.

The Opposition

The Opposition leader sits on the opposite front bench as the leader of the second largest party. The importance of the Opposition in the Constitution is that there should always be seen to be a government in waiting'.

Civil Servants

Civil servants are not political appointees and their job is to give advice to ministers and to carry out research, formulate policy and implement the decisions of ministers. They are supposed to be politically impartial and normally retain their position after a change in government.

Parliament: key features and processes

MPs retain their seats for the maximum term of a Parliament of five years with each Parliament divided into four or five sessions. Each session begins with the State Opening of parliament and the Sovereign reading a speech in the House of Lords explaining what the government intends to do in the forthcoming session. An election is usually called after the fourth anniversary of the previous election by the PM who asks the Sovereign for a dissolution of parliament who in turn consults the Privy Council before issuing the Royal Proclamation.

The House of Commons

The House of Commons (HoC) is still officially under the constitution the Lower House' in the two part legislature of the UK with government and opposition sitting on opposite benches. The HoC has established itself as the House with greatest democratic legitimacy with all members elected by the adult population.

The Speaker

An MP is appointed to the Speaker's role through an election of MPs and is the Chairperson of the Commons. It is the Speaker who decides on which MPs are to speak and in what order and will rule if their is a dispute on a point of procedure.

Backbenchers

Backbenc hers are MPs who are neither

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