What is the constitutional arrangement in the United Kingdom?
Watch this video to learn about the UK Parliament and how it is split into the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
How does the UK Parliament work?
In the UK, the Parliament at Westminster is sovereign. This means the UK Parliament has the power to make the final decision on laws and how the country is run.
However, the UK Parliament has To transfer power to another a limited number of powers to the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly. These institutions make decisions in certain defined areas.
The United Kingdom and the European Union (EU)
In the past the UK Government also had to follow laws made by the A group of European countries initially formed to remove trade barriers and reduce potential for war within Europe. Citizens of member states have the right to move freely to any other member state to work.. Following the 2016 referendum the UK decided to leave the EU. The UK left the EU on the 31st January 2020 and a transition period ended on the 31st December 2020. Many EU laws have been transferred into British law and are known as 'retained EU legislation'.