"UK government" and "Government of the United Kingdom" redirect here. For the general topic of governance in the United Kingdom, see
Politics of the United Kingdom.
A logo of Her Majesty's Government
Her Majesty's Government is the government of the United Kingdom. Under the Constitution of the United Kingdom, executive authority notionally lies with the monarch but is exercised in practice by her ministers. Her Majesty's Government is the collective name for these ministers, and it is effectively an executive authority for the UK.
The government is led by the Prime Minister, who is appointed by the monarch as the Member or Lord of Parliament most likely to command a majority in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister is based at 10 Downing Street, which along with most government departments, is located in Westminster. In practice, the Prime Minister selects the other members of the government and their appointment is confirmed by the Queen. The Prime Minister and Cabinet (consisting of all the most senior government ministers) are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the monarch and to Parliament. The government is fused with Parliament,[1] which means that in practice a government must seek re-election at least every five years.[2]
The current Prime Minister is Gordon Brown, leader of the Labour Party. He was appointed by Queen Elizabeth II on 27 June 2007.[3] He leads a government composed of 127 ministers, mostly Labour Party MPs.[4]
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