Both the Parliament and the Government together frame the laws of the United Kingdom. Although they are separate institutions, they work in close harmony and therefore, at times it becomes very difficult to demarcate their respective responsibilities and duties.
The Executive
The Government is also known as the Executive and it is the Executive that runs the country. The Executive develops and enforces the policies and also drafts the laws.
The Parliament
The Parliament is also known as the Legislature in the UK. In UK, the parliament is the highest legislative authority. It checks the work of the government and also examines, debates and approves new laws.
Formation of the Government
The new government is formed by the political party that wins the majority number of seats in the general Parliament Elections. The leader of the winning party generally becomes the new Prime Minister. The Prime Minister appoints ministers, forms the cabinet. The cabinet works towards the development of public policies and services.
MPs and Ministers
The MPs and the lords become the Ministers to the Government. A MP may be a member of the party that has won the general elections and have formed the Government. However this does not necessarily mean that the said MP is working in the government. The Ministers are regularly answerable to the oral and written questions of the MPs of the House of Commons and the Lords of the House of Lords.
Regular Examination of the Government
On behalf of the UK citizens, the Parliament checks the work of the Government on a regular basis through various agencies and committees and also by questioning the Ministers. The proposals for government taxes / revenues and their spending also has to be approved by the House of Commons.
Motion of Confidence
In order to remain in power, the government has to retain its confidence amongst the majority in the House of Commons. If the House of Commons votes against the ruling Government and reveals its no confidence, then the ruling Government is dissolved and a general election has to take place immediately.
Bills
Every year the Parliament is informed by the government regarding its plans for new legislations in the Queen’s speech. New legislations are introduced as Bills. There are a lot of discussions and debates before it becomes an Act in the Parliament. In this case also, the Government is very much dependent to the majority support of the House of Commons.
