UK Government

Her Majesty's Government (or Executive) is the institution that runs the country, formulating policy and introducing legislation in Parliament. The most senior members of the Government are known as the Cabinet, and are chosen by the Prime Minister. Whilst members of the House of Commons make up the majority of the Cabinet, there are always a few members from the House of Lords.

The current coalition Government, led by PM David Cameron, was formed after the General Election on 6 May 2010, when despite winning the largest number of votes and seats, the Conservative party fell short of the 326 seats needed to have an overall majority. This was only the second time since the Second World War that a British general election returned a hung parliament. On 11 May, Labour leader Gordon Brown announced his resignation as Prime Minister, and an hour later, Conservative leader David Cameron took up that role, leading a coalition government of the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives.

In this section, we take a look at the workings of HM Government, from the Cabinet members to the role of each Whitehall department. We also have a guide to all the UK Prime Ministers, past and present; from 1721 to the present day.