United Kingdom

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of the United Kingdom Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Politics of the United Kingdom take place in the framework of a parliamentary, representative democratic monarchy, in which the Prime Minister is the head of government. ...

Parliament State Opening of Parliament Sovereign: Queen Elizabeth II House of Lords Lord Speaker: Baroness Hayman House of Commons Speaker: Michael Martin Prime Minister's Questions Her Majesty's Government Cabinet Prime Minister: Tony Blair Deputy Prime Minister: John Prescott Chancellor of the Exchequer: Gordon Brown Foreign Secretary: Margaret Beckett Home Secretary: John Reid Lord Chancellor: Lord Falconer of Thoroton The Privy Council Government departments The Civil Service Official Opposition Leader of the Opposition: David Cameron Shadow Cabinet Courts of the United Kingdom Courts of England and Wales Courts of Northern Ireland Courts of Scotland Constituent countries Scottish Parliament Scottish Executive National Assembly for Wales Welsh Assembly Government Northern Ireland Assembly Northern Ireland Executive Reserved matters Local government Greater London Authority Elections: 2001 - 2005 - 2009/10 Political parties Constitution Human rights Foreign relations EU Politics

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The Cabinet Office is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for supporting the Prime Minister and Cabinet in progressing matters that require coordination across Government departments. This should be distinguished from the Prime Minister's personal staff who form the Prime Minister's Office. The Houses of Parliament, seen over Westminster Bridge The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories. ... In the United Kingdom, the State Opening of Parliament is an annual event held usually in October or November that marks the commencement of a session of Parliament. ... This article describes the British monarchy from the perspective of the United Kingdom. ... Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor; born 21 April 1926) is Queen of 16 sovereign states, holding each crown and title equally. ... This article is about the British House of Lords. ... The Lord Speaker (or Lady Speaker) will be a new position in the British Parliament created once the Constitutional Reform Acts provisions about the Speakership of the House of Lords comes into effect. ... Hélène Valerie Hayman, Baroness Hayman, PC, née Middleweek (born 26 March 1949) is a Labour policitian. ... The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... In the United Kingdom, the Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, and is seen historically as the First Commoner of the Land. ... Michael John Martin MP (born 3 July 1945) is the current Speaker of the House of Commons in the United Kingdom. ... Prime Ministers Questions is a Parliamentary practice in the United Kingdom where every Wednesday when the House of Commons is sitting, the Prime Minister spends half an hour answering questions from MPs. ... Her Majestys Government, or when the sovereign is male, His Majestys Government, abbreviated HMG, is the formal title used by the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the governments of some other kingdoms where executive authority is theoretically vested in the monarch... In the Politics of the United Kingdom, the Cabinet is a formal body comprised of government officials chosen by the Prime Minister. ... The Prime Minister is in practice the most important political office in the United Kingdom. ... Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953)[1] is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, Leader of the UK Labour Party, and Member of the UK Parliament for the constituency of Sedgefield in North East England. ... The office of Deputy Prime Minister is one that has only existed occasionally in the history of the United Kingdom. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British cabinet minister responsible for all financial matters. ... James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom and a Labour Party politician. ... The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (commonly referred to as Foreign Secretary) is a member of the British Government responsible for relations with foreign countries, heading the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (often called simply the Foreign Office). ... The Rt Hon. ... The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the United Kingdom Home Office and is responsible for internal affairs in England and Wales, and for immigration and citizenship for the whole United Kingdom (including Scotland and Northern Ireland). ... John Reid (born 8 May 1947) is a British politician who is Home Secretary and Member of Parliament for the Scottish constituency of Airdrie and Shotts. ... This article or section needs a complete rewrite for the reasons listed on the talk page. ... Lord Falconer of Thoroton Charles Leslie Falconer, Baron Falconer of Thoroton, PC, QC (born 19 November 1951) is a British barrister and Labour Party politician. ... Her Majestys Most Honourable Privy Council is a body of advisors to the British Sovereign. ... Her Majestys Government of the United Kingdom contains a number of Ministers and Secretaries of State these members of the Cabinet are supported by civil servants in Ministerial Departments. ... The British civil service is the permanent bureaucracy that supports the Government Ministers responsible to the Sovereign and Parliament in administering the United Kingdom. ... Her Majestys Loyal Opposition, or the Official Opposition in the United Kingdom is the largest opposition party in the House of Commons. ... The Leader of the Opposition in the United Kingdom is the politician who leads Her Majestys Loyal Opposition (the body in Parliament recognized as the Official Opposition). ... David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British politician, Leader of the Conservative Party, and Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons. ... The Official Loyal Opposition Shadow Cabinet (normally referred to simply as The Shadow Cabinet) is, in British parliamentary practice, a group of members from Her Majestys Loyal Opposition whose job it is to scrutinise their opposite numbers in government and come up with alternative policies. ... The United Kingdom does not have a single unified judicial system: England and Wales have one system, Scotland another, and Northern Ireland another. ... Schematic of court system for England and Wales The United Kingdom does not have a single unified judicial system—England and Wales have one system, Scotland another, and Northern Ireland a third. ... The United Kingdom does not have a single unified judicial system — England and Wales have one system, Scotland another, and Northern Ireland a third. ... The Courts of Scotland are the civil, criminal and heraldic courts responsible for the administration of justice in Scotland. ... The factual accuracy of this article is disputed. ... The Scottish Parliaments logo in English and Gaelic. ... The Executives logo, shown with English and Scottish Gaelic caption The term Scottish Executive is used in two different, but closely-related senses: to denote the executive arm of Scotlands national legislature (i. ... The National Assembly for Wales (or NAfW) (Welsh: ) is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales, and is also responsible for most UK government departments in Wales. ... The Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) (Welsh: Llywodraeth Cynulliad Cymru, LlCC) is the executive body of the National Assembly for Wales, consisting of the First Minister and his Cabinet. ... The logo of the Northern Ireland Assembly is a six flowered linen or flax plant, chosen for the plants historical economic importance to the region. ... The Northern Ireland Executive as established by the Northern Ireland Act 1998 is the (currently suspended) executive body for Northern Ireland, answerable to the Northern Ireland Assembly. ... In Scotland reserved matters, also referred to as reserved powers, are those subjects over which power to legislate is retained by Westminster, as explicitly stated in the Scotland Act 1998. ... There is no single system of local government in the United Kingdom. ... The Greater London Authority (GLA) administers the 1579 km² (610 sq. ... The United Kingdom has five distinct types of elections: general, local, regional, European and mayoral. ... Tony Blair William Hague Charles Kennedy The UK general election, 2001 was held on 7 June 2001 and was dubbed the quiet landslide by the media. ... The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 and won by the Labour Party, led by Tony Blair. ... Under the provisions of the Parliament Act 1911, the next United Kingdom general election must be held on or before 3 June, 2010. ... This is a list of political parties in the United Kingdom. ... The United Kingdom has a long and established tradition of respect for its citizens human rights. ... British Prime Minister Tony Blair (left) conducting diplomacy, hosted by the President of the United States, George W. Bush at Camp David in March 2003. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Information on politics by country is available for every country, including both de jure and de facto independent states, inhabited dependent territories, as well as areas of special sovereignty. ... The agencies responsible for the government of the United Kingdom consist of a number of ministerial departments (usually headed by a Secretary of State) and non-ministerial departments headed by senior civil servants. ... The agencies responsible for the government of the United Kingdom consist of a number of ministerial departments (usually headed by a Secretary of State) and non-ministerial departments headed by senior civil servants. ... The Prime Minister is in practice the most important political office in the United Kingdom. ... In the Politics of the United Kingdom, the Cabinet is a formal body comprised of government officials chosen by the Prime Minister. ... // Overview Number Ten Downing street is the official residence of the First Lord of Her Majesty’s Treasury and Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. ...

The Cabinet Office historically had oversight of Her Majesty's Stationery Office now part of the Office of Public Sector Information. Her Majestys Stationery Office (usually abbreviated as HMSO) is part of the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom. ... The Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) is the new body incorporating Her Majestys Stationery Office (usually abbreviated as HMSO). ...

Objectives

As of 2006, the stated objectives of the Cabinet Office are: 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• To support the Prime Minister in leading the government
• To achieve coordination of policy and operations across government
• To improve delivery by building capacity in departments and the public services
• To promote standards that ensure good governance, including adherence to the Ministerial and Civil Service Codes

History

Historically, the most important part of the Cabinet Office's role was facilitating collective decision-making by the Cabinet, through running and supporting Cabinet committees. That role continues, but in the 1980s and 1990s the Cabinet Office has increasingly taken on a broader role in ensuring that Government priorities are taken forward across Whitehall. These include: Collective responsibility is a principle of British Cabinet Government in which the members of the Cabinet must support all Governmental decisions made in Cabinet, even if they do not privately agree with them. ...

• Ensuring delivery of the public service targets that the Government has set itself in the priority areas of education, health, transport and crime and asylum. This is carried out by the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit, set up by the Labour Government in 1997.
• e-Government — giving citizens better access to public information and services through better IT (through the e-Government Unit) - see also Transformational Government
• Promoting better forms of regulation, which are less burdensome for business (through the Better Regulation Executive)
• Management of civil service staffing (in relation to issues not delegated to departments) and reform of the civil service

The Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit was established in June 2001 to monitor progress on and strengthen the Government’s capacity to deliver its key priorities across education, health, crime and transport. ... e-Government Unit The e-Government Unit (eGU)’s mission is: ‘ensuring that IT supports the business transformation of Government itself so that we can provide better, more efficient, public services. ... Transformational Government is an initiative of the UK government. ...

Current staff

The Cabinet Office is currently headed by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. This post was vacant following the promotion of John Hutton to the Department of Work and Pensions. On 5 May 2006 the offices were given to Hilary Armstrong. The Central Office of Information (COI) is the UK Governments centre of excellence in marketing communications. ... Public Information Films (known as PIFs) are a series of government commissioned short films, shown during television advertising breaks in the UK. The US equivalent is the Public Service Announcement (PSAs). ... The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is, in modern times, a sinecure office in the British government. ... The Rt Hon. ... The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is a position in the UK cabinet, responsible for the Department for Work and Pensions. ... May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (126th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Rt Hon. ...

Other Ministers located in the Cabinet Office:

• Minister without Portfolio : 2006 - date The Rt Hon. Hazel Blears MP

The Cabinet Secretary is the head of the home Civil Service and is also responsible for the organisation of the Cabinet Office. The incumbent is Sir Gus O'Donnell, who took over from Sir Andrew Turnbull in September 2005. The permanent secretary at the Cabinet Office is Richard Mottram. A Minister without Portfolio is a government minister with no specific responsibilities. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Rt. ... In the British Government, the Cabinet Secretary, or more formally Secretary of the Cabinet, is the senior civil servant in charge of the Cabinet Office, a department that provides administrative support to the Prime Minister, the Cabinet, and the government as a whole. ... A civil servant or public servant is a civilian career public sector employee working for a government department or agency. ... Sir Augustine Thomas ODonnell, KCB (born 1955) is the highest ranking British civil servant, in the British Civil Service. ... Andrew Turnbull, Baron Turnbull, KCB , CVO (born 21 January 1945) was the head of the British Civil Service and Cabinet Secretary between 2002 and 2005 when he was succeeded by Sir Gus ODonnell. ... Richard Mottram (1946) is a United Kingdom civil servant. ...

Buildings

The main building of the Cabinet Office is at 70 Whitehall, adjacent to Downing Street. Whitehall, London, looking south towards the Houses of Parliament. ... Downing Street For a wider coverage of London, visit the London Portal. ...

Remains of Henry VIII's tennis courts from the Palace of Whitehall can be seen within the building. Kent's Treasury at the back of the building was used to imprison Princess Anne (later Queen) in the late 17th century. For the play, see Henry VIII (play). ... The Palace of Whitehall by Hendrick Danckerts. ... Anne (6 February 1665 – 1 August 1714) became Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. ...

External links

• The website of the Cabinet Office