How does Parliament work?

An overview of how the UK Parliament works, explaining its structure, roles, and the legislative process.

Key Takeaways

UK Parliament is a bicameral system with a ceremonial monarch.
Majority governments have an easier time passing laws than minority governments.
The House of Lords provides expertise but is unelected and can only delay legislation.
Legislation requires approval from both Houses and Royal Assent to become law.
Parliamentary procedures involve formal debates and voting lobbies.

What the video covers

Parliament is the center of British politics where laws are made and debated.
It consists of three parts: the House of Commons, the House of Lords, and the Crown.
The Crown plays a mostly ceremonial role, including the State Opening of Parliament.
The House of Commons has 650 elected MPs representing constituencies, mostly aligned with political parties.
A majority government requires 326 seats to pass legislation more easily; minority governments need cross-party support.
The House of Lords has around 800 appointed peers with expertise from various fields, some life peers and some opposition members.
The Lords can delay but not veto legislation due to reforms in 1911 and 1949.
Bills are scrutinized, debated, and voted on by both Houses before receiving Royal Assent to become law.
Voting procedures include MPs dividing into 'yes' or 'no' lobbies and Lords into 'content' or 'not content' lobbies.
The political landscape is evolving with new parties potentially influencing Parliament's future.

Chapters

What are the three parts of the UK Parliament?

The UK Parliament consists of the House of Commons, the House of Lords, and the Crown, with the Crown playing a mostly ceremonial role.

How does a majority government affect passing legislation?

A majority government, having more than half the seats in the Commons, finds it easier to pass legislation since most MPs vote along party lines.

Can the House of Lords veto legislation?

No, the House of Lords can only delay legislation for up to a year due to reforms in 1911 and 1949; the Commons can reintroduce and pass bills without Lords' consent.

Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown

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The Parliament is the home of British politics. It's the place where laws are made. Planning affordable housing and land Compensation Bill second reading. What day? 22nd of March. 22nd of March 2019. And often fierce debates are had. What are you playing?

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It am miss the shouting and jeering and hearing. It's one of the oldest parliamentary systems in the world, but how exactly does it [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] work? Parliament is made of three parts: the House of Commons, the House of Lords,

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and the Crown, who mostly plays a ceremonial part in the puzzle. At the start of the state opening of Parliament, the Queen presents the government's agenda for the coming session. It's the only time on a regular basis when all

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three constituent parts come together. The House of Commons is where elected members of Parliament represent their areas, known as constituencies. There are 650 of them, and nearly all of them subscribe to a political party like the Conservatives

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or Labour. That means any single party who wins 326 seats, more than the other parties put together at a general election, can form a majority government. The government has the job of running the country, everything from the NHS

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through to the prison service and how much tax you have to pay is all decided by the government. Having a majority means a government finds it much easier to pass legislation it wants to. As typically MPs vote for the policies

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their party has put forward. A minority government needs the support of MPs from other parties in order to pass any legislation, so it's far harder for it to do the things it wants to. And that's what led to Theresa May striking a deal

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with the DUP inside the House of Commons. MPs debate and propose new laws. The Commons creates new legislation through yes or no votes. Eyes for yes and nose for no. The eyes to the right, 202. The nose to the left,

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432. The second part of Parliament is the House of Lords. With 800 peers, the Lords bring a whole host of knowledge and experience from different backgrounds and specialisms. Most members are appointed by the Prime Minister and described as

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life peers, but some members from the opposition are also accepted. There have been calls to abolish the House of Lords because, unlike the Commons, Lords are not elected by the British public. Non-party members can also be put forward by the House of

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Lords Appointments Commission because they hold specialist knowledge such as science and economics to help run the country. Together, the two houses challenge the work of the government, hold debates, and pass laws. But how does an idea get turned into an Act of

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Parliament? MPs and Lords scrutinize, debate, and amend bills through several stages. It's up to the Speaker of the House to ask MPs if they approve a bill, and if there's not a clear majority, then a vote is held clear the lobby.

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Members of the Lords will enter either the content or not content lobby, and Commons MPs divide into eye or nose. Their votes are then counted by tellers who report the numbers back to the Speaker. To the right, 441. The nose to the left,

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105. The House of Lords could previously veto legislation up until the early 20th century, but after the Parliament Act was reformed for a second time in 1949, peers could only delay a bill for up to a year. But even then, the elected

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government in the Commons can reintroduce the bill and pass them without consent from peers in the following session. If both houses agree, it's sent to the Queen, and once it has the Royal consent, it becomes an official Act of Parliament. As the political

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landscape changes with the emergence of potential new parties like the Independence Group, who knows how Parliament itself will evolve in years to come. [Music] [Music] [Applause]

Topics:UK ParliamentHouse of CommonsHouse of LordsBritish politicslegislative processRoyal Assentmajority governmentminority governmentTheresa MayParliament Act

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