45-505: The International Trade Select Committee was a Select Committee of the British House of Commons that existed from 2016 to 2023. It oversaw the operations of the now defunct Department for International Trade and its associated public bodies. As of February 2023, the members of the committee were as follows: The chair was elected on 12 July 2017, with the members of the committee being announced on 11 September 2017. The chair
90-561: A Government Minister who is often a Secretary of State and member of the Cabinet . The minister may also be supported by a number of junior ministers. In practice, several government departments and ministers have responsibilities that cover England alone, with devolved bodies having responsibility for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, (for example – the Department of Health ), or responsibilities that mainly focus on England (such as
135-425: A specific deadline by which to complete their work, after which they cease to exist. House of Commons select committees are generally responsible for overseeing the work of government departments and agencies, whereas Lords select committees look at general issues, such as the constitution or the economy. Select committees are also one of parliament's mechanisms for holding the private sector to account. Following
180-584: A working majority in Parliament. A Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition government held office from 2010 until 2015, the first coalition since 1945. The coalition ended following parliamentary elections on 7 May 2015 , in which the Conservative Party won an outright majority of seats, 330 of the 650 seats in the House of Commons, while their coalition partners lost all but eight seats. With
225-536: Is a constitutional monarchy which, by legislation and convention , operates as a unitary parliamentary democracy . A hereditary monarch , currently King Charles III , serves as head of state while the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom , currently Sir Keir Starmer since 2024 , serves as the elected head of government . Under the United Kingdom's parliamentary system, executive power
270-513: Is drawn from and is answerable to Parliament – a successful vote of no confidence will force the government either to resign or to seek a parliamentary dissolution and a general election . In practice, members of parliament of all major parties are strictly controlled by whips who try to ensure they vote according to party policy. If the government has a large majority, then they are very unlikely to lose enough votes to be unable to pass legislation. The Prime Minister, currently Sir Keir Starmer,
315-637: Is exercised by His Majesty's Government , whose leadership are formally appointed by the King to act in his name. However, the King may only appoint individuals that are members of and have the confidence of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . The Parliament has two houses: the House of Commons and the House of Lords . The Parliament is the UK's supreme legislative body ; however some powers have been devolved to
360-953: Is featured in season 3, episode 5 of Industry (TV series) . In the episode, Robert is sent to represent Pierpoint as part of the committee's inquiry into the collapse and bailout of Lumi, a green energy tech company. A 2015 select committee inquiry into the Horizon computer system features in Mr Bates vs The Post Office . British politics King Charles III [REDACTED] William, Prince of Wales [REDACTED] Charles III ( King-in-Council ) [REDACTED] Starmer ministry ( L ) Keir Starmer ( L ) Angela Rayner ( L ) ( King-in-Parliament ) [REDACTED] Charles III [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The Lord Reed The Lord Hodge Andrew Bailey Monetary Policy Committee The United Kingdom
405-518: Is the most senior minister in the Cabinet. Their tenure begins when they are appointed by the monarch. The Prime Minister is responsible for chairing Cabinet meetings, selecting Cabinet ministers (and all other positions in His Majesty's government), and formulating government policy. The Prime Minister being the de facto leader of the UK, exercises executive functions that are nominally vested in
450-418: The 2011 Scottish Parliament elections which formed the current Scottish Government administration. In a 2014 referendum on independence 44.7% of voters voted for independence versus 55.3% against. In Northern Ireland, Irish nationalist parties such as Sinn Féin advocate Irish reunification . In Wales, Welsh nationalist parties such as Plaid Cymru support Welsh independence . The constitution of
495-530: The 2024 United Kingdom general election , most of the new chairs of the 26 select committees were elected in September 2024. Some English local authorities also have a select committee system, as part of their Overview and Scrutiny arrangements. Committees often open investigations, called inquiries, into topics within their remit. As part of these inquiries they gather information from government officials and interested people, groups, and organisations. At
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#1732790554853540-588: The Department for Education ). Implementation of the Minister's decisions is carried out by a permanent politically neutral organisation known as the Civil Service . Its constitutional role is to support the Government of the day regardless of which political party is in power. Unlike some other democracies, senior civil servants remain in post upon a change of Government. Administrative management of
585-867: The Lord Advocate and Solicitor General are the Members of the Scottish Government and attend meetings of the Scottish cabinet , as set out in the Scotland Act 1998 . They are collectively known as "the Scottish Ministers". The Welsh Government and Senedd have more limited powers than those devolved to Scotland, although following the passing of the Government of Wales Act 2006 and the 2011 Welsh devolution referendum ,
630-681: The Scottish Government , the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive . The monarch appoints a Prime Minister as the head of His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom , guided by the strict convention that the Prime Minister should be the member of the House of Commons most likely to be able to form a Government with the support of that House. In practice, this means that
675-551: The Wright Committee was formed to improve the procedures and relevance of Parliament. Changes made based on the committee's recommendations included limiting the number of members per committee to 11, requiring those members and chairs to be appointed to their positions by the House, and a reduction in the number of committees. The Backbench Business Committee was created in 2010 as a non-ministerial committee to cover non-government business, following recommendations from
720-522: The energy network , the environment, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service , some aspects of equality legislation, housing, planning, sport , culture , tourism , the Crown Estate , onshore oil and gas licensing , some aspects of taxation including Scottish council tax and transport . In the 2024–25 financial year, its annual budget was almost £60 billion. The government is led by
765-536: The first minister , assisted by the deputy first minister alongside various Ministers with individual portfolios and remits. The Scottish Parliament nominates a Member to be appointed as First Minister by the King . The first minister then appoints their Ministers (known as Cabinet Secretaries) and junior Ministers, subject to approval by the Parliament. The first minister, the Ministers (but not junior ministers ),
810-782: The parliaments of Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland . The British political system is a multiple-party system and was according to the V-Dem Democracy Indices 2023 the 22nd most electorally democratic in the world. Since the 1920s, the two dominant parties have been the Conservative Party and the Labour Party . Before the Labour Party rose in British politics, the Liberal Party
855-685: The partition of Ireland , Northern Ireland received home rule in 1920, though civil unrest meant direct rule was restored in 1972. Support for nationalist parties in Scotland and Wales led to proposals for devolution in the 1970s, though only in the 1990s did devolution happen. Today, Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland each possess a parliament and government, with devolution in Northern Ireland being conditional on participation in certain all-Ireland institutions . The British government remains responsible for non-devolved matters and, in
900-470: The British government away from the sovereign. Theoretically, the Prime Minister is primus inter pares (i.e., Latin for "first among equals") among their Cabinet colleagues. While the Prime Minister is the senior Cabinet Minister, they are theoretically bound to make executive decisions in a collective fashion with the other Cabinet ministers. The Cabinet, along with the PM, consists of Secretaries of State from
945-854: The House of Commons. Party managers negotiate which party chairs each committee. By tradition, the Public Accounts Committee is led by a member of the opposition party, while a member of the governing party leads the Treasury Select Committee . Committee membership reflects each party’s size in the House, and members are elected within their parties. Typically, a departmental committee has 11 members, though some, like Public Accounts , are larger. The Osmotherly Rules set out guidance on how civil servants should respond to parliamentary select committees. Following general elections, chairs and members of select committees have to be reappointed. Committees don't have
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#1732790554853990-479: The Reform the House of Commons report under the Wright Committee . Since June 2010, most committee chairs are elected by the whole House. Before this, each party appointed members and chose chairs within the group. Select committees recommendations often focus on changes to government policy. One study estimates that 30-40% of select committee recommendations become policy. A select committee evidence session
1035-567: The Senedd can now legislate in some areas through an Act of Senedd Cymru . The current First Minister of Wales , or Prif Weinidog Cymru in Welsh, is Eluned Morgan of Welsh Labour . Assembly have powers closer to those already devolved to Scotland. The Northern Ireland Executive is led by a diarchy , most recently First Minister Michelle O'Neill ( Sinn Féin ) and deputy First Minister Emma-Little Pengelly ( DUP ) The British Parliament
1080-546: The United Kingdom In British politics , parliamentary select committees are cross-party groups of MPs or Lords which investigate specific issues or scrutinise the work of the Government of the United Kingdom . They can be appointed from the House of Commons , from the House of Lords , or as a joint committee of Parliament drawn from both. Committees may be as "sessional" committees – i.e. be near-permanent – or as "ad-hoc" committees with
1125-596: The United Kingdom is uncodified , being made up of constitutional conventions , statutes and other elements. This system of government, known as the Westminster system , has been adopted by other countries, especially those that were formerly parts of the British Empire . The United Kingdom is also responsible for several dependencies, which fall into two categories: the Crown Dependencies , in
1170-555: The case of Northern Ireland, co-operates with the government of the Republic of Ireland . Devolution of executive and legislative powers may have contributed to increased support for independence in the constituent parts of the United Kingdom . The principal Scottish pro-independence party, the Scottish National Party , became a minority government in 2007 and then went on to win an overall majority of MSPs at
1215-560: The committees deemed appropriate. It also suggested that committee members should be selected independently of the party whips, as chosen by the Select Committee of Selection . The fourteen new committees began working in 1980 after the 1979 general election . Since then, Parliament has organised House of Commons committees into three main types: In July 2005, the Administration Select Committee
1260-482: The department is led by a head civil servant known in most Departments as a Permanent secretary . The majority of the civil service staff in fact work in executive agencies , which are separate operational organisations reporting to Departments of State. "Whitehall" is often used as a metonym for the central core of the Civil Service. This is because most Government Departments have headquarters in and around
1305-465: The end of inquiries they often publish a report with their findings. The government must issue a written response to each select committee report. Select committees in the House of Commons are governed by the Standing Orders. The powers of departmental select committees are set out in standing order 152. Political parties divide committee chair positions based on their number of seats in
1350-567: The former Royal Palace Whitehall . The Scottish Government is responsible for all issues that are not explicitly reserved to the United Kingdom Parliament at Westminster , by the Scotland Act ; including NHS Scotland , education , justice , rural affairs, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, some aspects of the benefits system , elections to the Scottish Parliament and local government, some aspects of
1395-601: The immediate vicinity of the UK, are strictly-speaking subject to the Crown (i.e., the Monarch) but not part of the sovereign territory of the United Kingdom (though de facto British territory), and British Overseas Territories , as British colonies were re-designated in 1983, which are part of the sovereign territory of the United Kingdom, in most of which aspects of internal governance have been delegated to local governments, with each territory having its own first minister, though
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1440-406: The issue or withdrawal of passports, to the dismissal of the prime minister or even the declaration of war. The powers are delegated from the monarch personally, in the name of the Crown, and can be handed to various ministers, or other officers of the Crown, and can purposely bypass the consent of Parliament. The head of His Majesty's Government , the prime minister, also has weekly meetings with
1485-419: The leader of the political party with an absolute majority of seats in the House of Commons is chosen to be the Prime Minister. If no party has an absolute majority, the leader of the largest party is given the first opportunity to form a coalition. The Prime Minister then selects the other Ministers which make up the Government and act as political heads of the various Government Departments . About twenty of
1530-449: The legal power to compel people to appear before them. Rupert Murdoch and Mike Ashley are two examples of witnesses who initially declined before agreeing to appear. Mark Zuckerberg , for example, declined to appear in front of a committee at all. Following the dissolution of parliament that preceded the 2024 election, all select committees were disbanded. The House of Commons allocated which parties would hold each Chair in advance of
1575-434: The most senior government ministers make up the Cabinet and approximately 100 ministers in total comprise the government. In accordance with constitutional convention , all ministers within the government are either Members of Parliament or peers in the House of Lords . As in some other parliamentary systems of government (especially those based upon the Westminster system ), the executive (called "the government")
1620-479: The national government performs the role of local government within that area). The British monarch , currently King Charles III , is the head of state of the United Kingdom . Though he takes little direct part in government, the Crown remains the fount in which ultimate executive power over government lies. These powers are known as royal prerogative and can be used for a vast amount of things, such as
1665-538: The sovereign (by way of the Royal Prerogatives). Historically, the British monarch was the sole source of executive powers in the government. However, following the lead of the Hanoverian monarchs, an arrangement of a "Prime Minister" chairing and leading the Cabinet began to emerge. Over time, this arrangement became the effective executive branch of government, as it assumed the day-to-day functioning of
1710-480: The sovereign, where they may express their feelings, warn, or advise the prime minister in the government's work. According to the uncodified constitution of the United Kingdom, the monarch has the following powers: Domestic powers Foreign powers Executive power in the United Kingdom is exercised by the Sovereign, King Charles III , via His Majesty's Government and the devolved national authorities –
1755-526: The summer recess on 30 July 2024. Nominations for Chairs ran until 9 September. Ballots took place on 11 September. House of Lords select committees include: These committees run inquiries into and publish reports on topics within their remit. Specialised committees of investigation existed within Parliament since the Tudor period . In the sixteenth century, committees revised bills and considered constitutional and religious questions. The committees system
1800-622: The title used may differ, such as in the case of the Chief Minister of Gibraltar, though they remain subject to the Parliament of the United Kingdom (when United Kingdom is used to refer only to that part of the British Realm, or sovereign British territory, which is governed directly by the British Government, and not via local subsidiary governments, United Kingdom logically refers to a local government area, though
1845-993: The various government departments, the Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain , the Lord Privy Seal , the Lord President of the Council , the President of the Board of Trade , the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Ministers without portfolio . Cabinet meetings are typically held weekly, while Parliament is in session. The Government of the United Kingdom contains a number of ministries known mainly, though not exclusively as departments, e.g., Department for Education . These are politically led by
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1890-436: Was created to replace five previous committees. It covers services in the House, including catering, the House of Commons Library , digital services, and visitor services. Sometimes, committees from the House of Commons or joint standing committees (which include members of both Houses) review individual bills in detail. Most bills go to public bill committees . Before 2006, these were called standing committees. In 2009,
1935-3452: Was elected on 19 October 2016, with members being announced on 31 October 2016. Richard Price, Stephen Gibson, Dr Jonathan Cave and Tammy Holmes (23 March 2022) Professor Tony Venables and Professor Joe Francois (23 March 2022) Professor Andrew Lang, Lucy Monks, Catherine Brims and Chris Southworth (18 May 2022) David Henig, Tim Hiscock and Jack Semple (18 May 2022) Peter Dawson, Phil Stocker, David Swales and Miles Beale (25 May 2022) Sue Davies, Dr Barbara Allen, Dr Jason Paul Mika and Sir Lockwood Smith (25 May 2022) Professor Lorand Bartels (6 July 2022) Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP and Crawford Falconer (6 July 2022) UK Trade Negotiations: Agreement with Australia (July 2022) Alan Vallance, Mr John Cooke, Prof Daniel Hodson and Dr Minako Morita-Jaeger (9 February 2022) Sarah Williams, Ruth Bergan and Sir Lockwood Smith (2 March 2022) Rosa Crawford, Dr Silke Trommer, Professor Emily Reid and Victoria Hewson (2 March 2022) Sabina Ciofu, Eunice Lim and Swee Leng Harris (9 March 2022) William Kovacic, Eduardo Pérez Motta, Professor Albert Sanchez-Graells and Anne L. Petterd (9 March 2022) Richard Price, Stephen Gibson, Dr Jonathan Cave and Tammy Holmes (23 March 2022) Professor Tony Venables and Professor Joe Francois (23 March 2022) Professor Lorand Bartels (26 April 2022) Nick von Westenholz, Robert Hodgkins, James Russell, Miles Beale and Gerald Mason (26 April 2022) Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP and Crawford Falconer (29 June 2022) Lawrence Slade, Dr Ashley Thomas Lenihan and Camilla de Coverly Veale (26 May 2021) Nicolai Tangen and Trond Grande (16 June 2021) Diego López, Dr Tim Vlandas and Duncan Bonfield (16 June 2021) Lord Grimstone of Boscobel Kt, Lord Callanan, Ceri Smith, Daniel Gieve and Jacqui Ward (16 June 2021) Chris Walker and Peter Ellingworth (20 January 2021) Jack Semple, Nicholas Wrigley and Ipek Gencsu (28 April 2021) Dr Alistair Clark, Professor Andreas Klasen and Dr Susan Hawley (28 April 2021) Richard Simon-Lewis and Vomic Shah (12 May 2021) Mark Ling, Bhavna Saraf and Ian Tandy (12 May 2021) Dr Kamala Dawar and Adrian Jones (12 May 2021) Graham Stuart MP and Louis Taylor (23 June 2021) Diana Avila, David Holman and Nick Ashton-Hart (27 January 2021) Professor David Collins, Professor Christopher Kuner and Dr Kristina Irion (10 March 2021) Sue Davies, Sabina Ciofu and Jim Killock (10 March 2021) Rt Hon John Whittingdale OBE MP, Rt Hon Greg Hands MP, Graham Floater and Nick Russell (21 April 2021) Rosa Crawford, Dr Laura Cohen and Richard Warren (14 October 2020) Simon Walker and Satjit Singh (25 November 2020) Mr Ranil Jayawardena MP and Claire Vince (13 January 2021) Third special report (TRA's response) Charles Hammond, Simon Bird and Karen Dee (15 July 2020) Richard Ballantyne, Andrew Carter and Councillor Kevin Bentley (9 September 2020) Dr Anton Moiseienko and Charlotte Morgan (9 September 2020) Chris Starkie, Roger Pollen, Roy MacGregor and Tim Williams (7 October 2020) Aidan McMahon, Ivan McKee MSP and Rebecca Evans MS (7 October 2020) Rt Hon Steve Barclay MP, Luke Hall MP and Rachel Campbell (24 February 2021) Mike Hawes, Sabina Ciofu, George Riddell and Nick von Westenholz (11 November 2020) Parliamentary select committees of
1980-453: Was further developed during the mid-1960s by Richard Crossman as Leader of the House of Commons . The modern system of departmental select committees in the UK came into being in 1979, following the recommendations of a 1978 Procedure Select Committee report. It recommended the appointment of a series of select committees covering all the main departments of state, with wide terms of reference, and with power to appoint specialist advisers as
2025-535: Was the other major political party, along with the Conservatives. While coalition and minority governments have been an occasional feature of parliamentary politics, the first-past-the-post electoral system used for general elections tends to maintain the dominance of these two parties, though each has in the past century relied upon a third party , such as the Liberal Democrats , to deliver
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