United Kingdom

== Politics ==
{{Main|Politics of the United Kingdom|Government of the United Kingdom|Monarchy of the United Kingdom}}

{{multiple image
| align             = right
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| image1            = King Charles III (July 2023).jpg
| alt1              = King Charles III
| caption1          = [[Charles III]], [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|Monarch]] since 2022
| image2            = Official Portrait of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (cropped 3).jpg
| alt2              = Rishi Sunak
| caption2          = [[Rishi Sunak]], [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] since 2022
}}

The UK is a [[constitutional monarchy]] and a [[parliamentary democracy]] operating under the [[Westminster system]], otherwise known as a "democratic parliamentary monarchy".<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Stepan |first1=Alfred |last2=Linz |first2=Juan J. |last3=Minoves |first3=Juli F. |date=2014 |title=Democratic Parliamentary Monarchies |url=http://muse.jhu.edu/content/crossref/journals/journal_of_democracy/v025/25.2.stepan.html |journal=Journal of Democracy |language=en |volume=25 |issue=2 |pages=35–36 |doi=10.1353/jod.2014.0032 |issn=1086-3214 |s2cid=154555066}}</ref> It is a [[Centralized government|centralised]], [[unitary state]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lewer |first=Andrew |date=5 May 2021 |title=The UK is one of the most centralised advanced democracies – it's time that changed |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/spotlight/2021/05/the-uk-is-one-of-the-most-centralised-advanced-democracies-its-time-that-changed |access-date=3 July 2023 |website=New Statesman |language=en-US |archive-date=3 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703131907/https://www.newstatesman.com/spotlight/2021/05/the-uk-is-one-of-the-most-centralised-advanced-democracies-its-time-that-changed |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Centralisation Nation: Britain's system of local government and its impact on the national economy |url=https://www.centreforcities.org/?post_type=publication&p=40951 |access-date=3 July 2023 |website=Centre for Cities |language=en-US |archive-date=28 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328141833/https://www.centreforcities.org/publication/centralisation-nation/ |url-status=live }}</ref> wherein the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]] is [[Parliamentary sovereignty in the United Kingdom|sovereign]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Parliamentary Sovereignty |url=https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/glossary/parliamentary-sovereignty |access-date=19 July 2021 |website=[[parliament.uk]] |archive-date=11 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210811195135/https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/glossary/parliamentary-sovereignty/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Parliament is made up of the elected [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]], the appointed [[House of Lords]] and [[the Crown]] (as personified by the [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|monarch]]).{{Efn|British [[sovereignty]] derives from the Crown, a [[corporation sole]] occupied by the monarch. It is therefore by and through the monarch that Parliament exercises supreme legislative authority over both the executive and judiciary. Distinguished Professor of [[Public Law]] Maurice Sunkin opined the Crown symbolically occupies "…what in other places would be a core element of a written constitution."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ibanet.org/Relationship-between-UK-Crown-and-law-in-focus-as-Carolean-era-begins|title=Relationship between UK Crown and law in focus as Carolean era begins|author=Polly Botsford|publisher=International Bar Association|publication-date=22 September 2022|access-date=4 July 2023|archive-date=6 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230506211218/https://www.ibanet.org/Relationship-between-UK-Crown-and-law-in-focus-as-Carolean-era-begins|url-status=live}}</ref> As a result of this state of constitutional affairs, the monarch is formally referred to as "[[Sovereign|the Sovereign]]" in legislation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1978/30/section/10|title=Interpretation Act 1978 (c. 30, s. 10)|publisher=The National Archives|access-date=4 July 2023|archive-date=30 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230730073659/https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1978/30/section/10|url-status=live}}</ref>}}<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Parliament |url=https://www.parliament.uk/about/how/role |access-date=19 July 2021 |website=[[parliament.uk]]}}</ref> The main business of parliament takes place in the two houses,<ref name=":1" /> but [[royal assent]] is required for a bill to become an [[Act of Parliament (UK)|act of parliament]] (that is, [[statute law]]).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Royal Assent |url=https://www.parliament.uk/about/how/laws/passage-bill/lords/lrds-royal-assent |access-date=19 July 2021 |website=[[parliament.uk]] |archive-date=16 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210716022947/https://www.parliament.uk/about/how/laws/passage-bill/lords/lrds-royal-assent/ |url-status=live }}</ref> As a result of parliamentary sovereignty, the [[Constitution of the United Kingdom|British constitution]] is [[Uncodified constitution|uncodified]], consisting mostly of disparate written sources, including parliamentary [[statute]]s, judge-made [[case law]] and international treaties, together with [[British Constitution#Conventions|constitutional conventions]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Carter, Sarah |title=A Guide To the UK Legal System |url=http://www.llrx.com/features/uk2.htm#UK%20Legal%20System |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120505115306/http://www.llrx.com/features/uk2.htm |archive-date=5 May 2012 |access-date=16 May 2006 |publisher=[[University of Kent]] at Canterbury}}</ref> Nevertheless, the [[Supreme Court of the United Kingdom|Supreme Court]] recognises a number of principles underlying the British constitution, such as [[Parliamentary sovereignty in the United Kingdom|parliamentary sovereignty]], the [[rule of law]], [[democracy]], and upholding [[Internationalism (politics)|international law]].<ref>See ''[[R (Miller) v Prime Minister]]'' [2019] UKSC 41 (Parliamentary sovereignty), ''[[R (UNISON) v Lord Chancellor]]'' [2017] [http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKSC/2017/51.html UKSC 51] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104095357/https://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKSC/2017/51.html|date=4 January 2023}}, [67] ff (rule of law), ''[[R (Animal Defenders International) v Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport]]'' [2008] UKHL 15, [48] (democracy), ''[[R v Lyons]]'' [2002] [https://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKHL/2002/44.html UKHL 44] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122064021/https://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKHL/2002/44.html|date=22 January 2023}}, [27] (international law).</ref>

[[Charles III|King Charles III]] is the current [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|monarch]] and [[head of state]] of the UK and of 14 other independent countries. These 15 countries are today referred to as "[[Commonwealth realm]]s". The monarch is formally vested with all executive authority as the personal embodiment of the Crown and is "...fundamental to the law and working of government in the UK."<ref>{{Cite journal |url=https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/the-constitutional-role-and-working-of-the-monarchy-in-the-united |title=The Constitutional Role and Working of the Monarchy in the United Kingdom |author=Robert Blackburn |journal=Jahrbuch des Öffentlichen Rechts der Gegenwart |series=Neue Folge |year=2022 |volume=70 |pages=181–201 |editor=O. Lepsius |editor2=A. Nußberger |editor3=C. Schönberger |editor4=C. Waldhoff |editor5=C. Walter |name-list-style=amp |publisher=Mohr Siebeck |doi=10.1628/joer-2022-0009 |s2cid=257830288 |publication-date=2 June 2022 |access-date=19 June 2023 |archive-date=19 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230619174428/https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/the-constitutional-role-and-working-of-the-monarchy-in-the-united |url-status=live }}</ref> The disposition of such powers however, including those belonging to the [[Royal prerogative in the United Kingdom|royal prerogative]], is generally exercised only on the [[Advice (constitutional law)|advice]] of [[ministers of the Crown]] responsible to Parliament and thence to the electorate. Nevertheless, in the performance of official duties, the monarch has "the right to be consulted, the right to encourage, and the right to warn".<ref>[[Walter Bagehot|Bagehot, Walter]] (1867). ''The English Constitution''. London: Chapman and Hall. p. 103.</ref> In addition, the monarch has a number of [[Reserve power#United Kingdom|reserve powers]] at his disposal, albeit rarely used, to uphold [[responsible government]] and prevent [[constitutional crisis|constitutional crises]].{{Efn|For instance, the monarch alone appoints the prime minister and confers [[Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom|state honours]] in the personal gift of the Crown. When necessary, the monarch may also refuse a [[dissolution of Parliament|dissolution]] or [[Prorogation in the United Kingdom|prorogation of Parliament]], withhold [[royal assent]] to [[Act of Parliament (UK)|primary legislation]], and prevent illegal use of the [[British Armed Forces]], among other reserve powers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8885/CBP-8885.pdf|title=The Crown and the Constitution|author=David Torrance|publisher=House of Commons Library|publication-date=11 January 2023|access-date=19 June 2023|pages=22|archive-date=2 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302033737/https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8885/CBP-8885.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>}}

[[File:Palace of Westminster, London - Feb 2007.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|alt=Large sand-coloured building of Gothic design beside brown river and road bridge. The building has several large towers, including large clock tower.|The [[Palace of Westminster]] in London is the seat of both houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.]]

For [[General elections in the United Kingdom|general elections]] (elections to the House of Commons), the UK is currently divided into 650 [[United Kingdom constituencies|constituencies]], each of which is represented by one [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|member of Parliament]] (MP) elected by the [[First-past-the-post voting|first-past-the-post]] system.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=General elections |url=https://www.parliament.uk/about/how/elections-and-voting/general |access-date=19 July 2021 |website=[[parliament.uk]]}}</ref> MPs hold office for up to five years and must then stand for re-election if they wish to continue to be an MP.<ref name=":2" /> The [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]], colloquially known as the Tory Party or the Tories, and the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] have been the dominant political parties in the UK since the 1920s, leading to the UK being described as a [[two-party system]]. However, since the 1920s other [[List of political parties in the United Kingdom|political parties]] have won seats in the House of Commons, although never more than the Conservatives or Labour.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Raymond |first=C |date=2016 |title=Why British Politics is Not a Two-Party System |url=https://pureadmin.qub.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/107735631/The_United_Kingdom_is_Not_a_Two_Party_System.pdf |website=Queen's University Belfast |access-date=3 July 2023 |archive-date=9 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709172832/https://pureadmin.qub.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/107735631/The_United_Kingdom_is_Not_a_Two_Party_System.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|prime minister]] is the [[head of government]] in the UK.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Government, Prime Minister and Cabinet |url=http://direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/UKgovernment/Centralgovernmentandthemonarchy/DG_073444 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120921004951/http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/UKgovernment/Centralgovernmentandthemonarchy/DG_073444 |archive-date=21 September 2012 |access-date=9 March 2015 |website=Public services all in one place |publisher=[[Directgov]]}}</ref> Acting under the direction and supervision of a [[Cabinet of the United Kingdom|Cabinet]] of senior ministers selected and led by the prime minister, the [[Government of the United Kingdom|Government]] serves as the principal instrument for public policymaking, administers public services and, through the [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Council]], promulgates [[statutory instrument (UK)|statutory instruments]] and tenders advice to the monarch.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/cabinet|title=Cabinet|author=Tim Durrant|date=25 March 2020|publisher=Institute for Government|publication-date=25 March 2020|access-date=4 July 2023|archive-date=4 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704112925/https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/cabinet|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.parliament.uk/about/how/role/relations-with-other-institutions/parliament-government/|title=Parliament and Government|publisher=UK Parliament|access-date=4 July 2023|archive-date=4 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704112925/https://www.parliament.uk/about/how/role/relations-with-other-institutions/parliament-government/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mN6SzMefot4C|title=The Monarchy and the Constitution, Chapter 3 – The Basic Constitutional Rules: Influence and the Prerogative|author=Vernon Bogdanor|year=1995 |publisher=Clarendon Press|isbn=978-0-19-829334-7 |publication-date=1995|access-date=4 July 2023}}</ref>
Nearly all prime ministers have served concurrently as [[First Lord of the Treasury]]<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Blick |first1=Andrew |last2=Jones |first2=George |date=1 January 2012 |title=The Institution of Prime Minister – History of government |url=https://history.blog.gov.uk/2012/01/01/the-institution-of-prime-minister |access-date=19 July 2021 |website=[[gov.uk]] |archive-date=21 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721060401/https://history.blog.gov.uk/2012/01/01/the-institution-of-prime-minister/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and all prime ministers have continuously served as First Lord of the Treasury since 1905,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Brown |first=Jack |title=The Prime Ministers |publisher=[[Hodder & Stoughton]] |year=2020 |isbn=978-1-5293-1214-0 |editor-last=Dale |editor-first=Iain |page=303}}</ref> [[Minister for the Civil Service]] since 1968,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Minister for the Civil Service |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/minister-for-the-civil-service |access-date=19 July 2021 |website=[[gov.uk]] |archive-date=2 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170902233116/https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/minister-for-the-civil-service |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Minister for the Union]] since 2019.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Woodcock |first=Andrew |date=26 July 2021 |title=Boris Johnson accused of 'cynical rebranding' after appointing himself 'Minister for the Union' |work=[[The Independent|Independent]] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-minister-union-scotland-independence-referendum-snp-a9022356.html |access-date=19 July 2021 |archive-date=27 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190727080405/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-minister-union-scotland-independence-referendum-snp-a9022356.html |url-status=live }}; {{Cite web |title=Minister for the Union |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/minister-for-the-union |access-date=19 July 2021 |website=[[gov.uk]] |archive-date=19 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200719053618/https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/minister-for-the-union |url-status=live }}</ref> While appointed by the monarch, in modern times the prime minister is, by [[Constitutional conventions of the United Kingdom|convention]], an MP, the leader of the [[Political Parties of the United Kingdom|political party]] with the most seats in the House of Commons, and holds office by virtue of their ability to [[Confidence motions in the United Kingdom|command the confidence]] of the House of Commons.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 2011 |title=The Cabinet Manual |url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/60641/cabinet-manual.pdf |access-date=19 July 2021 |website=[[gov.uk]] |page=7 |archive-date=15 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180415090557/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/60641/cabinet-manual.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=October 2011 |title=The Cabinet Manual |url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/60641/cabinet-manual.pdf |access-date=19 July 2021 |website=[[gov.uk]] |page=21 |archive-date=15 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180415090557/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/60641/cabinet-manual.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Norton |first=Philip |title=Governing Britain: Parliament, Ministers and Our Ambiguous Constitution |publisher=[[Manchester University Press]] |year=2020 |isbn=978-1-5261-4545-1 |page=130}}</ref> The current Prime Minister, as of October 2022, is [[Rishi Sunak]] MP, leader of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]].

Although not part of the United Kingdom, the three [[Crown Dependencies]] of [[Jersey]], [[Guernsey]] and [[Isle of Man]] and 14 [[British Overseas Territories]] across the globe are subject to the sovereignty of the British Crown. The Crown exercises its responsibilities in relation to the Crown Dependencies mainly through the British government's [[Home Office]] and for the British Overseas Territories principally through the [[Foreign Office]].<ref>{{cite book|last= Palan|first= Rolen|editor-last1= Palan |editor-first1= Rolen|editor-last2= Halperin|editor-first2=Sandra |chapter=The second British Empire and the re-emergence of global finance |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=76QyCgAAQBAJ&dq=%22British+overseas+territories%22+%22crown+dependencies%22+UK+%22British+crown%22&pg=PA48|title=  Legacies of Empire: Imperial Roots of the Contemporary Global Order |year= 2015|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn= 978-1-107-10946-9|page=48}}</ref>

=== Administrative divisions ===
{{Main|Countries of the United Kingdom|Administrative geography of the United Kingdom|List of counties in the United Kingdom}}

The geographical division of the United Kingdom into [[Counties of the United Kingdom|counties]] or shires began in England and Scotland in the early Middle Ages, and was completed throughout Great Britain and Ireland by the early Modern Period.<ref>Hackwood Frederick William: ''The Story of the Shire, Being the Lore, History and Evolution of English County Institutions'' (1851)</ref> Modern local government by elected councils, partly based on the ancient counties, was established by separate Acts of Parliament: in England and Wales in [[Local Government Act 1888|1888]], Scotland in [[Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889|1889]] and Ireland in [[Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898|1898]], meaning there is no consistent system of administrative or geographic demarcation across the UK.<ref>{{Cite web |last=United Nations Economic and Social Council |author-link=United Nations Economic and Social Council |date=August 2007 |title=Ninth UN Conference on the standardization of Geographical Names |url=http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/UNGEGN/docs/9th-uncsgn-docs/report%20of%209th%20uncsgn%20n0750902%20en.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091211213055/http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/9th-UNCSGN-Docs/E-CONF-98-48-Add1.pdf |archive-date=11 December 2009 |access-date=21 October 2008 |publisher=UN Statistics Division}}</ref>
Until the 19th century there was little change to those arrangements, but there has since been a constant evolution of role and function.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Barlow |first=I.M. |title=Metropolitan Government |publisher=Routledge |year=1991 |isbn=978-0-415-02099-2 |location=London}}</ref>

[[Local government in England]] is complex, with the distribution of functions varying according to local arrangements. The upper-tier [[subdivisions of England]] are the nine [[Regions of England|regions]], now used primarily for statistical purposes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Welcome to the national site of the Government Office Network |url=http://www.gos.gov.uk/national |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090606073647/http://www.gos.gov.uk/national |archive-date=6 June 2009 |access-date=3 July 2008 |publisher=Government Offices}}</ref> One of the regions, [[Greater London Authority|Greater London]], has had a directly elected assembly and mayor since 2000 following popular support for the proposal in a [[1998 Greater London Authority referendum|1998 referendum]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=A short history of London government |url=http://www.london.gov.uk/london-life/city-government/history.jsp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080421023053/http://www.london.gov.uk/london-life/city-government/history.jsp |archive-date=21 April 2008 |access-date=4 October 2008 |publisher=Greater London Authority}}</ref>

[[Local government in Scotland]] is divided into [[subdivisions of Scotland|32 council areas]] with a wide variation in size and population. The cities of [[Glasgow]], Edinburgh, [[Aberdeen]] and [[Dundee]] are separate council areas, as is the [[Politics of the Highland council area|Highland Council]], which includes a third of Scotland's area but only just over 200,000&nbsp;people. Local councils are made up of elected councillors, of whom there are 1,223.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web |title=STV in Scotland: Local Government Elections 2007 |url=http://www.psa.ac.uk/2007/pps/Bennie.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110222124635/http://www.psa.ac.uk/2007/pps/Bennie.pdf |archive-date=22 February 2011 |access-date=2 August 2008 |publisher=Political Studies Association}}</ref>

[[Local government in Wales]] consists of 22 unitary authorities, each led by a leader and cabinet elected by the council itself. These include the cities of Cardiff, Swansea and Newport, which are unitary authorities in their own right.<ref name="unitary">{{Cite web |year=2014 |title=Unitary authorities |url=http://gov.wales/topics/localgovernment/local-authorities/?lang=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150310210146/http://gov.wales/topics/localgovernment/local-authorities/?lang=en |archive-date=10 March 2015 |access-date=9 March 2015 |publisher=Welsh Government}}</ref> Elections are held every four years under the first-past-the-post system.<ref name="unitary" />

[[Local government in Northern Ireland]] since 1973, has been organised into 26 district councils, each elected by single transferable vote. Their powers are limited to services such as waste collection, dog control, and maintaining parks and cemeteries.<ref name="Devenport">{{Cite news |last=Devenport |first=Mark |date=18 November 2005 |title=NI local government set for shake-up |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4449092.stm |access-date=15 November 2008 |archive-date=12 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081212221731/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4449092.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2008 the executive agreed on proposals to create 11 new councils and replace the present system.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=Foster announces the future shape of local government |date=13 March 2008 |publisher=Northern Ireland Executive |url=http://www.northernireland.gov.uk/news/news-doe/news-doe-130308-foster-announces-the.htm |access-date=20 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725002254/http://www.northernireland.gov.uk/news/news-doe/news-doe-130308-foster-announces-the.htm |archive-date=25 July 2008}}</ref>

=== Devolved governments ===
{{Main|Devolution in the United Kingdom}}
[[File:The four countries of United Kingdom.png|thumb|upright=0.8|The four [[countries of the United Kingdom]]]]

Beginning in 1998, a process of [[devolution]] has transferred legislative and executive powers previously held by United Kingdom institutions to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.<ref name= LeSueur2023>{{cite book |last1=Le Sueur |first1=Andrew |last2=Sunkin |first2=Maurice|last3=Murkens |first3=Jo Eric Khushal |title=Public Law: Text, Cases, and Materials |year=2023|edition=5th |isbn=978-0-19-287061-2 |publisher=Oxford University Press |page= 147|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6sLDEAAAQBAJ&dq=Le+sueur+Public+Law%C2%A0fifth+edition&pg=PR3}}</ref> As a result, a [[Scottish Government]] and [[Scottish Parliament|Parliament]], [[Welsh Government]] and [[Senedd]] (Parliament) and [[Northern Ireland Executive]] and [[Northern Ireland Assembly|Assembly]] have been created.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Le Sueur |first1=Andrew |last2=Sunkin |first2=Maurice|last3=Murkens |first3=Jo Eric Khushal |title=Public Law: Text, Cases, and Materials |year=2023|edition=5th |isbn=978-0-19-287061-2 |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=154|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6sLDEAAAQBAJ&dq=Le+sueur+Public+Law%C2%A0fifth+edition&pg=PR3}}</ref> A similar process has not taken place for England.<ref name= LeSueur2023/> 

The UK does not have a [[codified constitution]] and constitutional matters are not among the powers that have been devolved. Under the doctrine of [[Parliamentary sovereignty in the United Kingdom|parliamentary sovereignty]], the UK Parliament could, in theory, therefore, abolish the Scottish Parliament, Senedd or Northern Ireland Assembly.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Burrows |first=N. |year=1999 |title=Unfinished Business: The Scotland Act 1998 |journal=The Modern Law Review |volume=62 |issue=2 |pages=241–260 [p. 249] |doi=10.1111/1468-2230.00203 |quote=The UK Parliament is sovereign and the Scottish Parliament is subordinate. The White Paper had indicated that this was to be the approach taken in the legislation. The Scottish Parliament is not to be seen as a reflection of the settled will of the people of Scotland or of popular sovereignty but as a reflection of its subordination to a higher legal authority. Following the logic of this argument, the power of the Scottish Parliament to legislate can be withdrawn or overridden...}}; {{Cite journal |last=Elliot |first=M. |year=2004 |title=United Kingdom: Parliamentary sovereignty under pressure |journal=International Journal of Constitutional Law |volume=2 |issue=3 |pages=545–627, 553–554 |doi=10.1093/icon/2.3.545 |quote=Notwithstanding substantial differences among the schemes, an important common factor is that the UK Parliament has not renounced legislative sovereignty in relation to the three nations concerned. For example, the Scottish Parliament is empowered to enact primary legislation on all matters, save those in relation to which competence is explicitly denied&nbsp;... but this power to legislate on what may be termed "devolved matters" is concurrent with the Westminster Parliament's general power to legislate for Scotland on any matter at all, including devolved matters&nbsp;... In theory, therefore, Westminster may legislate on Scottish devolved matters whenever it chooses... |doi-access=free}}</ref> In practice, it would be politically difficult for the UK Parliament to abolish devolution to the Scottish Parliament and the Senedd, because these institutions were created by referendum decisions.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gamble |first=A. |year=2006 |title=The Constitutional Revolution in the United Kingdom |journal=Publius |volume=36 |issue=1 |pages=19–35 [p. 29] |doi=10.1093/publius/pjj011 |quote=The British parliament has the power to abolish the Scottish parliament and the Welsh assembly by a simple majority vote in both houses, but since both were sanctioned by referenda, it would be politically difficult to abolish them without the sanction of a further vote by the people. In this way, several of the constitutional measures introduced by the Blair government appear to be entrenched and not subject to a simple exercise of parliamentary sovereignty at Westminster.}}</ref> The political constraints placed upon the UK Parliament's power to interfere with devolution in Northern Ireland are greater still, because devolution in Northern Ireland rests upon an international agreement with the [[Government of Ireland]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Meehan |first=E. |year=1999 |title=The Belfast Agreement – Its Distinctiveness and Points of Cross-Fertilization in the UK's Devolution Programme |journal=Parliamentary Affairs |volume=52 |issue=1 |pages=19–31 [p. 23] |doi=10.1093/pa/52.1.19 |quote=[T]he distinctive involvement of two governments in the Northern Irish problem means that Northern Ireland's new arrangements rest upon an intergovernmental agreement. If this can be equated with a treaty, it could be argued that the forthcoming distribution of power between Westminster and Belfast has similarities with divisions specified in the written constitutions of federal states...Although the Agreement makes the general proviso that Westminster's 'powers to make legislation for Northern Ireland' remains 'unaffected', without an explicit categorical reference to reserved matters, it may be more difficult than in Scotland or Wales for devolved powers to be repatriated. The retraction of devolved powers would not merely entail consultation in Northern Ireland backed implicitly by the absolute power of parliamentary sovereignty but also the renegotiation of an intergovernmental agreement.|doi-access=free }}</ref> The UK Parliament restricts the three devolved parliaments' legislative competence in economic areas through an act passed in 2020.<ref name=UKIM />
==== Scotland ====
Since 1999, Scotland has had a devolved national government and parliament with wide-ranging powers over any matter that has not been specifically [[Reserved and excepted matters|reserved]] to the UK Parliament.<ref>{{cite web |title=Devolved and Reserved Powers |url=https://www.parliament.scot/about/how-parliament-works/devolved-and-reserved-powers |website=www.parliament.scot |access-date=11 April 2024 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=8 April 1999 |title=Scotland's Parliament&nbsp;– powers and structures |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/events/scotland_99/the_scottish_parliament/310036.stm |access-date=21 October 2008 |archive-date=18 February 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070218234816/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/events/scotland_99/the_scottish_parliament/310036.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> Their power over economic issues is significantly constrained by an [[United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020|act of the UK parliament]] passed in 2020.{{refn|name=UKIM|<ref name="Keating21">{{Cite journal |last=Keating |first=Michael |date=2 February 2021 |title=Taking back control? Brexit and the territorial constitution of the United Kingdom |journal=[[Journal of European Public Policy]] |location=Abingdon |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] |volume=28 |issue=4 |pages=6–7 |doi=10.1080/13501763.2021.1876156 |quote=The UK Internal Market Act gives ministers sweeping powers to enforce mutual recognition and non-discrimination across the four jurisdictions. Existing differences and some social and health matters are exempted but these are much less extensive than the exemptions permitted under the EU Internal Market provisions. Only after an amendment in the House of Lords, the Bill was amended to provide a weak and non-binding consent mechanism for amendments (equivalent to the Sewel Convention) to the list of exemptions. The result is that, while the devolved governments retain regulatory competences, these are undermined by the fact that goods and services originating in, or imported into, England can be marketed anywhere. |hdl-access=free |hdl=1814/70296 |s2cid=234066376}}</ref><ref name="KenMcEw21">{{Cite journal |last1=Kenny |first1=Michael |author-link=Michael Kenny (political scientist) |last2=McEwen |first2=Nicola |author-link2=Nicola McEwen |date=1 March 2021 |title=Intergovernmental Relations and the Crisis of the Union |journal=Political Insight |publisher=[[SAGE Publishing]] |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=12–15 |doi=10.1177/20419058211000996 |quote=That phase of joint working was significantly damaged by the UK Internal Market Act, pushed through by the Johnson government in December 2020...the Act diminishes the authority of the devolved institutions, and was vehemently opposed by them. |doi-access=free |s2cid=232050477}}</ref><ref name="WolffeDevol">{{Cite journal |last=Wolffe |first=W James |author-link=James Wolffe |date=7 April 2021 |title=Devolution and the Statute Book |url=https://academic.oup.com/slr/advance-article/doi/10.1093/slr/hmab003/6213886 |journal=[[Statute Law Review]] |location=Oxford |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |doi=10.1093/slr/hmab003 |access-date=18 April 2021 |quote=the Internal Market Bill—a Bill that contains provisions which, if enacted, would significantly constrain, both legally and as a matter of practicality, the exercise by the devolved legislatures of their legislative competence; provisions that would be significantly more restrictive of the powers of the Scottish Parliament than either EU law or Articles 4 and 6 of the Acts of the Union...The UK Parliament passed the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020 and the Internal Market Act 2020 notwithstanding that, in each case, all three of the devolved legislatures had withheld consent. |archive-date=21 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421145355/https://academic.oup.com/slr/advance-article/doi/10.1093/slr/hmab003/6213886 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Wincott21">{{Cite journal |last1=Wincott |first1=Daniel |author-link=Daniel Wincott |last2=Murray |first2=C. R. G. |last3=Davies |first3=Gregory |date=17 May 2021 |title=The Anglo-British imaginary and the rebuilding of the UK's territorial constitution after Brexit: unitary state or union state? |journal=Territory, Politics, Governance |location=Abingdon/Brighton |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]]; [[Regional Studies Association]] |volume=10 |issue=5 |pages=696–713 |doi=10.1080/21622671.2021.1921613 |quote=Taken as a whole, the Internal Market Act imposes greater restrictions upon the competences of the devolved institutions than the provisions of the EU Single Market which it replaced, in spite of pledges to use common frameworks to address these issues. [[David Hope, Baron Hope of Craighead|Lord Hope]], responsible for many of the leading judgments relating to the first two decades of devolution, regarded the legislation's terms as deliberately confrontational: 'this Parliament can do what it likes, but a different approach is essential if the union is to hold together'. |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="DouganMcEwen20">{{Cite report |url=https://www.centreonconstitutionalchange.ac.uk/publications/uk-and-internal-market-devolution-and-union |title=UK and the Internal Market, Devolution and the Union |last1=Dougan |first1=Michael |last2=Hayward |first2=Katy |date=2020 |publisher=[[University of Edinburgh]]; [[University of Aberdeen]] |pages=2–3 |last3=Hunt |first3=Jo |last4=McEwen |first4=Nicola |last5=McHarg |first5=Aileen |last6=Wincott |first6=Daniel |author-link=Michael Dougan |author-link2=Katy Hayward |access-date=16 October 2020 |author-link4=Nicola McEwen |author-link6=Daniel Wincott |department=Centre on Constitutional Change |archive-date=18 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018185830/https://www.centreonconstitutionalchange.ac.uk/publications/uk-and-internal-market-devolution-and-union |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Dougan20Brief">{{Cite report |url=https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/media/livacuk/law/2-research/eull/UKIM,Briefing,Paper,-,Prof,Michael,Dougan,15,September,2020.pdf |title=Briefing Paper. United Kingdom Internal Market Bill: Implications for Devolution |last=Dougan |first=Michael |date=2020 |publisher=[[University of Liverpool]] |location=Liverpool |pages=4–5 |author-link=Michael Dougan |access-date=15 October 2020 |archive-date=26 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026161836/https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/media/livacuk/law/2-research/eull/UKIM,Briefing,Paper,-,Prof,Michael,Dougan,15,September,2020.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=DouHu22>{{cite journal|last1=Dougan|first1=Michael|last2=Hunt|first2=Jo|last3=McEwen|first3=Nicola|last4=McHarg|first4=Aileen|author-link1=Michael Dougan|author-link3=Nicola McEwen|title=Sleeping with an Elephant: Devolution and the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020|journal=[[Law Quarterly Review]]|date=2022|url=https://dro.dur.ac.uk/35167/|location=London|publisher=[[Sweet & Maxwell]]|ssrn=4018581|via=[[Durham University|Durham Research Online]]|access-date=4 March 2022|quote=The Act has restrictive – and potentially damaging – consequences for the regulatory capacity of the devolved legislatures...This was not the first time since the Brexit referendum that the Convention had been set aside, but it was especially notable given that the primary purpose of the legislation was to constrain the capacity of the devolved institutions to use their regulatory autonomy...in practice, it constrains the ability of the devolved institutions to make effective regulatory choices for their territories in ways that do not apply to the choices made by the UK government and parliament for the English market.|issn=0023-933X|archive-date=2 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220802185022/https://dro.dur.ac.uk/35167/|url-status=live}}</ref>}} 

The current [[Scottish Government]] is a [[Scottish National Party]] and [[Scottish Greens]] [[Coalition government|coalition]], led by [[First Minister of Scotland|First Minister]] [[Humza Yousaf]], leader of the Scottish National Party. In 2014, the [[2014 Scottish independence referendum|Scottish independence referendum]] was held, with 55.3% voting against independence from the United Kingdom and 44.7% voting in favour, resulting in Scotland staying within the United Kingdom. [[Local government in Scotland]] is divided into [[subdivisions of Scotland|32 council areas]] with a wide variation in size and population. Local councils are made up of elected councillors, of whom there are 1,223.<ref name="auto1"/>

The Scottish Parliament is separate from the Scottish Government, and is made up of 129 elected [[Members of the Scottish Parliament]] (MSPs) and is the law making body of Scotland. It does, however, scrutinise the work of the incumbent Scottish Government and considers any piece of proposed legislation through parliamentary debates, committees and parliamentary questions.<ref>{{cite web |title=What the Scottish Government does |url=https://www.gov.scot/about/what-the-government-does/ |website=www.gov.scot |access-date=11 April 2024 |language=en}}</ref>

==== Wales ====
Since 1999, Wales has a devolved national government and legislature, known as the Senedd. Elections to the Senedd use the [[additional member system]]. They have more limited powers than those devolved to Scotland.<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 April 1999 |title=Structure and powers of the Assembly |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/events/wales_99/the_welsh_assembly/309033.stm |access-date=21 October 2008 |archive-date=7 February 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040207162926/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/events/wales_99/the_welsh_assembly/309033.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> The Senedd is able to legislate on any matter not specifically reserved to the UK Parliament through [[Acts of Senedd Cymru]]. The current [[Welsh Government]] is [[Welsh Labour|Labour]], led by [[First Minister of Wales|First Minister]] [[Vaughan Gething]], who has been the First Minister since 2024. [[Local government in Wales]] consists of 22 unitary authorities, each led by a leader and cabinet elected by the council itself.

==== Northern Ireland ====
The devolved form of government in Northern Ireland is based on the 1998 [[Good Friday Agreement]], which brought to an end a 30-year period of [[Unionism in Ireland|unionist]]-[[Irish nationalism|nationalist]] communal conflict known as [[The Troubles]]. The Agreement was [[1998 Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement referendum|confirmed by referendum]] and implemented later that year. It established [[power sharing]] arrangements for a devolved government and legislature, referred to as the Executive and Assembly respectively.<ref>{{cite web |title= Good Friday Agreement: What is it?|url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-61968177|website=BBC News |date=3 April 2023 |accessdate=11 April 2024}}</ref> Elections to the Assembly use the [[single transferable vote]] system. The Executive and Assembly have powers similar to those devolved to Scotland.{{Citation needed|date=April 2024}} The Executive is led by a [[diarchy]] representing [[Designated Unionist|unionist]] and [[Designated Nationalist|nationalist]] members of the Assembly.<ref name="northernireland1">{{Cite web |date=25 September 2015 |title=Your Executive |url=https://www.northernireland.gov.uk/topics/your-executive |publisher=Northern Ireland Executive |access-date=14 August 2016 |archive-date=21 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821135048/https://www.northernireland.gov.uk/topics/your-executive |url-status=live }}</ref>  The [[First Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland]] are the joint heads of government of Northern Ireland.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Stormont: Why were NI leaders given unequal job titles? |work=BBC News |date=15 May 2022 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-61393736 | access-date=2 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240202190001/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-61393736 |archive-date=2 February 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Northern Ireland Executive: Ministerial Code |date=28 September 2015 |url=https://www.northernireland.gov.uk/topics/your-executive/ministerial-code | access-date=2 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240202191115/https://www.northernireland.gov.uk/topics/your-executive/ministerial-code |archive-date=2 February 2024}}</ref> [[Local government in Northern Ireland]] since 2015 has been divided between 11 councils with limited responsibilities.<ref name="Devenport" />

=== Foreign relations ===
{{Main|Foreign relations of the United Kingdom|Foreign policy of the United Kingdom}}
[[File:President Biden greets Prime Minister Sunak of the UK at the sidelines of the 2022 G-20 Bali Summit.jpg|thumb|UK Prime Minister [[Rishi Sunak]] greets US President [[Joe Biden]] at the 2022 G-20 Bali Summit.]]
The UK is a [[Big Five (United Nations)|permanent member]] of the [[United Nations Security Council]], a member of [[NATO]], [[AUKUS]], the [[Commonwealth of Nations]], the [[G7 finance ministers]], the [[G7 forum]], the [[G-20 major economies|G20]], the [[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development|OECD]], the [[World Trade Organization|WTO]], the [[Council of Europe]] and the [[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe|OSCE]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=May |first=Theresa |author-link=Theresa May |date=29 March 2017 |title=Prime Minister's letter to Donald Tusk triggering Article 50 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prime-ministers-letter-to-donald-tusk-triggering-article-50/prime-ministers-letter-to-donald-tusk-triggering-article-50 |website= |via=Gov.uk |access-date=19 June 2017 |archive-date=5 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170605184239/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prime-ministers-letter-to-donald-tusk-triggering-article-50/prime-ministers-letter-to-donald-tusk-triggering-article-50 |url-status=live }}</ref> The UK has the [[British Council]] which is a British organisation based in over 100 countries specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. The UK is said to have a "[[Special Relationship]]" with the United States and a close partnership with France – the "[[Entente cordiale]]" – and shares nuclear weapons technology with both countries;<ref>{{Cite web |last=Swaine |first=Jon |date=13 January 2009 |title=Barack Obama presidency will strengthen special relationship, says Gordon Brown |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/barackobama/4226246/Barack-Obama-presidency-will-strengthen-special-relationship-says-Gordon-Brown.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=30 May 2011 |website=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] |publication-place=[[London]] |archive-date=4 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200704192159/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/barackobama/4226246/Barack-Obama-presidency-will-strengthen-special-relationship-says-Gordon-Brown.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Kirchner |first1=Emil Joseph |title=Global Security Governance: Competing Perceptions of Security in the 21st century |last2=Sperling |first2=James |publisher=[[Routledge]] |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-415-39162-7 |edition=illustrated |location=London |page=100 |language=en}}</ref> the [[Anglo-Portuguese Alliance]] is considered to be the oldest binding military alliance in the world. The UK is also closely linked with the Republic of Ireland; the two countries share a [[Common Travel Area]] and co-operate through the [[British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference]] and the [[British-Irish Council]]. Britain's global presence and influence is further amplified through its trading relations, foreign investments, [[official development assistance]] and military engagements.<ref>{{Cite web |last=The Committee Office, House of Commons |date=19 February 2009 |title=DFID's expenditure on development assistance |url=http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200809/cmselect/cmintdev/220/22007.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130112222226/http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200809/cmselect/cmintdev/220/22007.htm |archive-date=12 January 2013 |access-date=28 April 2013 |publisher=UK Parliament}}</ref> Canada, Australia and New Zealand, all of which are former colonies of the British Empire which share King Charles as their head of state, are the most favourably viewed countries in the world by [[British people]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 July 2017 |title=Sharp Drop in World Views of US, UK: Global Poll – GlobeScan |url=https://globescan.com/sharp-drop-in-world-views-of-us-uk-global-poll/ |access-date=5 December 2018 |archive-date=3 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103213529/https://globescan.com/sharp-drop-in-world-views-of-us-uk-global-poll/ |url-status=live }}; {{Cite web |title=From the Outside In: G20 views of the UK before and after the EU referendum' |url=https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/from_the_outside_in.pdf |publisher=British Council |access-date=5 December 2018 |archive-date=9 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171109225947/https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/from_the_outside_in.pdf |url-status=live }}; {{Cite web |date=26 October 2020 |title=New Zealand is Britons' favourite country |url=https://yougov.co.uk/topics/travel/articles-reports/2020/10/26/new-zealand-britons-favourite-country |access-date=8 November 2021 |archive-date=5 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205213020/https://yougov.co.uk/topics/travel/articles-reports/2020/10/26/new-zealand-britons-favourite-country |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Law and criminal justice ===
<!-- Copyedit done to here -->
{{Main|Law of the United Kingdom|Censorship in the United Kingdom|Crime in the United Kingdom}}
[[File:Middlesex Guildhall (cropped).jpg|thumb|The [[Supreme Court of the United Kingdom|Supreme Court]] is the final court of appeal for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and civil cases in Scotland.]]
The United Kingdom does not have a single legal system as Article 19 of the [[Treaty of Union|1706 Treaty of Union]] provided for the continuation of Scotland's separate legal system.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Treaty (act) of the Union of Parliament 1706 |url=http://www.scotshistoryonline.co.uk/union.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190527074630/http://www.scotshistoryonline.co.uk/union.html |archive-date=27 May 2019 |access-date=5 October 2008 |publisher=Scottish History Online}}</ref> Today the UK has three distinct [[Legal systems of the world|systems of law]]: [[English law]], [[Courts of Northern Ireland|Northern Ireland law]] and [[Scots law]]. A new [[Supreme Court of the United Kingdom]] came into being in October 2009 to replace the [[judicial functions of the House of Lords|Appellate Committee of the House of Lords]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=1 October 2009 |title=UK Supreme Court judges sworn in |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8283939.stm |access-date=6 October 2009 |archive-date=7 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200207160453/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8283939.stm |url-status=live }}; {{Cite web |date=July 2003 |title=Constitutional reform: A Supreme Court for the United Kingdom |url=http://www.dca.gov.uk/consult/supremecourt/supreme.pdf |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20090117132005/http://www.dca.gov.uk/consult/supremecourt/supreme.pdf |archive-date=17 January 2009 |access-date=13 May 2013 |publisher=Department for Constitutional Affairs }}</ref> The [[Judicial Committee of the Privy Council]], including the same members as the Supreme Court, is the highest court of appeal for several independent Commonwealth countries, the [[British Overseas Territories]] and the [[Crown Dependencies]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Role of the JCPC |url=http://www.jcpc.uk/about/role-of-the-jcpc.html |access-date=28 April 2013 |publisher=Judicial Committee of the Privy Council |archive-date=14 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140114165910/http://www.jcpc.uk/about/role-of-the-jcpc.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Both English law, which applies in England and Wales, and [[Northern Ireland law]] are based on [[Common law|common-law]] principles.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bainham |first=Andrew |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AF303DEl0MkC&pg=PA298 |title=The international survey of family law: 1996 |publisher=Martinus Nijhoff |year=1998 |isbn=978-90-411-0573-8 |location=The Hague |page=298 |access-date=29 September 2020 |archive-date=28 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328141743/https://books.google.com/books?id=AF303DEl0MkC&pg=PA298#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[courts of England and Wales]] are headed by the [[Senior Courts of England and Wales]], consisting of the [[Court of Appeal of England and Wales|Court of Appeal]], the [[High Court of Justice]] (for civil cases) and the [[Crown Court]] (for criminal cases).<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Australian courts and comparative law |url=http://www.alpn.edu.au/node/66 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130414202207/http://alpn.edu.au/node/66 |archive-date=14 April 2013 |access-date=9 March 2015 |publisher=Australian Law Postgraduate Network}}</ref> Scots law is a hybrid system based on common-law and [[Civil law (legal system)|civil-law]] principles. The chief courts are the [[Court of Session]], for civil cases,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Court of Session&nbsp;– Introduction |url=http://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/session/index.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080731094308/http://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/session/index.asp |archive-date=31 July 2008 |access-date=8 March 2015 |publisher=Scottish Courts}}</ref> and the [[High Court of Justiciary]], for criminal cases.<ref>{{Cite web |title=High Court of Justiciary&nbsp;– Introduction |url=http://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/justiciary/index.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080912204821/http://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/justiciary/index.asp |archive-date=12 September 2008 |access-date=9 March 2015 |publisher=Scottish Courts}}</ref> The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom serves as the highest court of appeal for civil cases under Scots law.<ref>{{Cite web |title=House of Lords&nbsp;– Practice Directions and Standing Orders Applicable to Civil Appeals |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld199697/ldinfo/ld08judg/bluebook/bluebk03.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131206120915/http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld199697/ldinfo/ld08judg/bluebook/bluebk03.htm |archive-date=6 December 2013 |access-date=8 March 2015 |publisher=UK Parliament}}</ref>

Crime in England and Wales increased in the period between 1981 and 1995, though since that peak there has been an overall fall of 66 per cent in recorded crime from 1995 to 2015,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20160105160709/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171778_419450.pdf |title=Crime in England and Wales, Year Ending June 2015 |publisher=Office for National Statistics |website=UK Government Web Archive |access-date=16 March 2023 |archive-date=16 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230316221317/https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20160105160709/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171778_419450.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> according to [[Crime statistics in the United Kingdom|crime statistics]]. As of June 2023, the United Kingdom has the highest per-capita incarceration rate in Western Europe.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sturge |first1=Georgina |title=UK Prison Population Statistics |url=https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN04334/SN04334.pdf |publisher=House of Commons Library |access-date=17 October 2023 |archive-date=24 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200224031328/https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN04334/SN04334.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Highest to Lowest - Prison Population Total |url=http://www.prisonstudies.org/highest-to-lowest |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231118142542/https://www.prisonstudies.org/highest-to-lowest/prison-population-total |archive-date=18 November 2023 |website=World Prison Brief}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=World Prison Brief data |url=http://www.prisonstudies.org/world-prison-brief |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106135950/https://www.prisonstudies.org/world-prison-brief-data |archive-date=6 November 2023 |website=World Prison Brief}}</ref>

[[United Kingdom labour law|UK labour laws]] entitle staff to have a minimum set of employment rights including a [[National Minimum Wage Act 1998|minimum wage]], a minimum of 28 days annual holiday, statutory sick pay and a [[Pensions Act 2008|pension]]. [[Same-sex marriage]] has been legal in England, Scotland, and Wales since 2014, and in [[Northern Ireland]] since 2020.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wratten |first1=Marcus |title=Tom Allen to host vital new BBC show marking 10th anniversary of same-sex marriage |url=https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/07/03/tom-allen-bbc-my-big-gay-wedding-same-sex-marriage/ |website=PinkNews |date=3 July 2023 |access-date=2 September 2023 |archive-date=2 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230902195143/https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/07/03/tom-allen-bbc-my-big-gay-wedding-same-sex-marriage/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[LGBT rights in the United Kingdom|LGBT equality]] in the United Kingdom is considered advanced by modern standards.<ref>{{Cite web |date=5 June 2023 |title=The 203 Worst (& Safest) Countries for LGBTQ+ Travel in 2023 |url=https://www.asherfergusson.com/lgbtq-travel-safety/ |access-date=20 August 2023 |website=Asher & Lyric |archive-date=10 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210910063408/https://www.asherfergusson.com/lgbtq-travel-safety/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=R. Flores |first1=Andrew |title=Social Acceptance of LGBTI People in 175 Countries and Locations |url=https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/global-acceptance-index-lgbt/ |website=Williams Institute |access-date=11 September 2023 |archive-date=13 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230913091254/https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/global-acceptance-index-lgbt/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Military ===
{{Main|British Armed Forces|Military history of the United Kingdom}}

{{Multiple image
| align             = right
| image1            = HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales meet at sea for the first time.jpg
| alt1              =
| caption1          = [[HMS Queen Elizabeth]] and [[HMS Prince of Wales]]
| image2            = Royal Navy Destroyer HMS Defender (D36).jpg
| caption2          = Royal Navy Destroyer [[HMS Defender]]
| image3            = Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 MOD 45160575.jpg
| caption3          = Royal Air Force [[Eurofighter Typhoon]] Jet
| total_width       = 300
| perrow            = 2
| image4            = FV4034 Challenger 2 – TankFest 2017 (31403624768).jpg
| caption4          = British Army [[Challenger 2]] Main Battle Tank
}}

''[[British Armed Forces|His Majesty's Armed Forces]]'' consist of three professional service branches: the [[Royal Navy]] and [[Royal Marines]] (forming the [[Naval Service (United Kingdom)|Naval Service]]), the [[British Army]] and the [[Royal Air Force]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ministry of Defence |url=http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/Home |access-date=21 February 2012 |publisher=Ministry of Defence |archive-date=19 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120219194140/http://mod.uk/DefenceInternet/Home/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The armed forces of the United Kingdom are managed by the [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]] and controlled by the [[Defence Council of the United Kingdom|Defence Council]], chaired by the [[Secretary of State for Defence]]. The [[Commander-in-Chief]] is the [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|British monarch]], to whom members of the forces swear an oath of allegiance.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 March 2012 |title=Speaker addresses Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II |url=http://www.parliament.uk/business/news/2012/march/speaker-addresses-hm-the-queen |access-date=28 April 2013 |publisher=UK Parliament |archive-date=1 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501221305/http://www.parliament.uk/business/news/2012/march/speaker-addresses-hm-the-queen/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The Armed Forces are charged with protecting the UK and its overseas territories, promoting the UK's global security interests and supporting international peacekeeping efforts. They are active and regular participants in [[NATO]], including the [[Allied Rapid Reaction Corps]], the [[Five Power Defence Arrangements]], [[RIMPAC]] and other worldwide coalition operations. [[Overseas military bases of the United Kingdom|Overseas garrisons]] and facilities are maintained in [[RAF Ascension Island|Ascension Island]], [[Mina Salman|Bahrain]], [[Military of Belize|Belize]], [[Military Forces based in Brunei|Brunei]], [[British Army Training Unit Suffield|Canada]], [[British Forces Cyprus|Cyprus]], [[Diego Garcia]], the [[Military of the Falkland Islands|Falkland Islands]], [[British Forces Germany|Germany]], [[British Forces Gibraltar|Gibraltar]], [[British Army Training Unit Kenya|Kenya]], [[Oman]], [[Al Udeid Air Base|Qatar]] and [[Singapore]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=House of Commons Hansard |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/cgi-bin/newhtml_hl?DB=semukparl&STEMMER=en&WORDS=raf%20diego%20garcia&ALL=RAF&ANY=&PHRASE=%22Diego%20Garcia%20%22&CATEGORIES=&SIMPLE=&SPEAKER=&COLOUR=red&STYLE=s&ANCHOR=50221w33.html_spnew0&URL=/pa/cm200405/cmhansrd/vo050221/text/50221w33.htm#50221w33.html_spnew0 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090309114107/http://www.publications.parliament.uk/cgi-bin/newhtml_hl?DB=semukparl&STEMMER=en&WORDS=raf%20diego%20garcia&ALL=RAF&ANY=&PHRASE=%22Diego%20Garcia%20%22&CATEGORIES=&SIMPLE=&SPEAKER=&COLOUR=red&STYLE=s&ANCHOR=50221w33.html_spnew0&URL=%2Fpa%2Fcm200405%2Fcmhansrd%2Fvo050221%2Ftext%2F50221w33.htm#50221w33.html_spnew0 |archive-date=9 March 2009 |access-date=23 October 2008 |publisher=UK Parliament}}; {{Cite web |title=House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 17 Jun 2013 (pt 0002) |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm130617/text/130617w0002.htm#13061746000236 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214025754/http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm130617/text/130617w0002.htm#13061746000236 |archive-date=14 February 2015 |access-date=4 March 2015 |publisher=Publications.parliament.uk}}</ref>

According to sources which include the [[Stockholm International Peace Research Institute]] and the [[International Institute for Strategic Studies]], the UK has either the fourth- or the fifth-highest [[List of countries by military expenditures|military expenditure]]. Total defence spending amounts to 2.0 per cent of national GDP.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2016 |url=https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/Trends-world-military-expenditure-2016.pdf |access-date=26 April 2017 |publisher=[[Stockholm International Peace Research Institute]] |archive-date=11 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011084300/https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/Trends-world-military-expenditure-2016.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Following the end of the [[Cold War]], defence policy has a stated assumption that "the most demanding operations" will be undertaken as part of a coalition.<ref>''UK 2005: The Official Yearbook of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland''. Office for National Statistics. p. 89.</ref>