Government

Government refers to the most powerful of the ministers, namely, the Prime Minister and the other members of the cabinet, who exercise executive power. There are usually about twenty people in the cabinet. Most of them are the heads of the government departments. Members of the government are usually known as ministers. Unlike much of western Europe, Britain normally has ´single-party government´. That is, all members of the government belong to the same political party. Most heads of government departments have their title ´Secretary of State´, for example Secretary of State for the Environment. The cabinet meets once a week and takes decisions about new policies, the implementation of existing policies and the running of the various government departments.

The position of a British Prime Minister (PM) is in direct contrast to that of the monarch. While the Queen appears to have a lot of power but in reality has very little, the PM appears not to have much power but in reality has a very great deal. The traditional phrase describes the position of the PM within the cabinet as primus inter pares (Latin for ´first among equals´). But in fact the other ministers are not nearly as powerful. No. 10 Downing Street is the official residence of the Prime Minister.