Unit Four Government & Politics （P51 2.）
2. Analyze the structure and mechanism of the government in the UK. The government and public administration in the UK has three areas: Central government and Civil Service; regional and devolved government; and local government. The central government or Her Majesty's Government is an executive authority consisting of the monarch's ministers, who are responsible for the conduct of national affairs. The position of Prime Minister, the UK's head of government, belongs to the Member of Parliament who can obtain the confidence of a majority in the House of Commons, usually the current leader of the largest political party in that chamber. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are formally appointed by the Monarch to form Her Majesty's Government. Though the Prime Minister chooses the Cabinet, and by convention HM The Queen respects the Prime Minister's choices. The Cabinet is traditionally drawn from members of the Prime Minister's party in both legislative houses, and mostly from the House of Commons, to which they are responsible. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are sworn into Her Majesty's Most Honorable Privy Council, and become Ministers of the Crown. Regionally Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales each has its own government or Executive, led by a First Minister, and a devolved, unicameral legislature. England, the largest country of the United Kingdom, has no devolved executive or legislature and is administered and legislated for directly by the UK government and parliament on all issues. At the local level, the UK is divided into a variety of different types of Local Authorities, with different functions and responsibilities. England has a mix of two-tier and single-tier councils in different parts of the country. In Greater London, a unique two-tier system exists, with power shared between the London borough councils, and the Greater London Authority which is headed by an elected mayor. Unitary Authorities are used throughout Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
