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The Government are the people responsible for running the country. The political party that wins the most seats at a General Election takes charge of the Government for five years, until the next General Election.

The leader of the winning party is appointed as Prime Minister and chooses other party members to work in the Government with them - as Cabinet ministers and junior ministers.

The Government is responsible for deciding how the country is run and for managing things, day to day. They set taxes, choose what to spend public money on and decide how best to deliver public services, such as:

The National Health Service

The police and armed forces

Welfare benefits like the State Pension

The UK’s energy supply

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Election is a formal process of selecting a person for public office . But also accepting or rejecting a political proposition by voting. It is important to distinguish between the form and the substance of elections.

In some cases, electoral forms are present but the substance of an election is missing, as when voters do not have a free and genuine choice between at least two alternative. Most countries hold elections in at least the formal sense, but in many of them the elections are not competitive (e.g., all but one party may be forbidden to contest) or the electoral situation is in other respects highly compromised.

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There are five types of elections in the United Kingdom.
- Elections for the House of Commons of the United Kingdom
- Elections to devolved parliaments and assemblies
- Local elections
- Mayoral elections
- Police and Crime Commissioner elections

Elections are hold on Election Day, which is conventionally a Thursday.

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A major party is a political party that holds substantial influence in a country's politics, standing in contrast to a minor party. It should not be confused with majority party.

Major parties hold a significant percentage of the vote in elections and claim higher membership than minor parties. Typically, major parties have the most donors, best-organized support networks and excellent funding for elections.

Two major parties can lead to a two-party system. If there is only one major party, then it is a dominant-party system. In a multi-party system, a major party is one that occasionally controls the presidency or premiership and is the most influential party in a coalition government.

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Monarchy is the oldest form of government in the United Kingdom.

The Head of the State is a king or queen in a monarchy. The British Monarchy is known as a constitutional monarchy. This means that, while The Sovereign is Head of State, the ability to make and pass legislation resides with an elected Parliament. The current monarch and Head of Stage is Queen Elizabeth II, who ascended the throne in 1952.

The Sovereign continues to play an important part in the life of the nation even though The Sovereign does not have a political or executive role.

As Head of State, The Monarch undertakes constitutional and representational duties which have developed over one thousand years of history. In addition to these State duties, The Monarch has a less formal role as 'Head of Nation'. The Sovereign acts as a focus for national identity, unity and pride; gives a sense of stability and continuity; officially recognises success and excellence; and supports the ideal of voluntary service.

In all these roles The Sovereign is supported by members of their immediate family.

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Parliament is there to represent our interests and make sure they are taken into account by the Government. The Government cannot make new laws or raise new taxes without Parliament’s agreement.

Parliament is made up of the population of the United Kingdom have elected and people who have been appointed. They sit in two separate Houses:

The House of Commons, where all the people we have elected at the General Election work, as MPs, for the next five years. This includes people in other political parties, as well as those in the winning party who were not chosen to be ministers.

The House of Lords, whose members are mostly appointed for life rather than elected. They have often been chosen because of their achievements and experience. Many do not belong to a political party.

The main functions of the UK Parliament are to:

Check and challenge the work of the Government (scrutiny)

Make and change laws (legislation)

Debate the important issues of the day (debating)

Check and approve Government spending (budget/taxes)