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UK - History
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View of the Houses of Parliament across the river Thames
in London
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The United Kingdom consists of Great Britain (England, Scotland,
and Wales) and Northern Ireland. It is a constitutional and hereditary
monarchy, and is part of the European Union. The current head of
state is Queen Elizabeth II. Since the Second World War, the government
has been formed by one of two parties: Labour or Conservative. The
Labour government has been in power since 1997, led by Prime Minister,
Tony Blair.
The UK parliament is based at Westminster in central London. It
is formed by two separate houses: the House of Lords and the House
of Commons. The UK is divided into 659 parliamentary constituencies,
each of which is represented by a democratically elected member
of parliament (MP) in the House of Commons, the main parliamentary
chamber. The House of Lords, which is currently undergoing a major
reform, consists of hereditary peers, life peers, and some senior
judges and Church of England bishops. Its main purpose is to revise
and amend laws suggested by the House of Commons.
Find out more about: England
|| Wales || Scotland
|| Northern Ireland
Introduction
|| History
|| Geography &
Environment
People & Society
|| Factfile || Oxfam
in the UK
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