As you know, the form of government of the United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. However, this country does not have a constitution as such, and many of the subtleties of state governance are determined by centuries-old traditions. And although today the head of the UK is the monarch, the country is actually led by the prime minister. Of course, the queen has almost absolute power, but other people run the state. About where the Prime Minister of England lives, what he is responsible for and what powers he has, as well as a little about the most prominent political figures who have held this position - later in this article.
Position of Prime Minister
Traditionally, the prime minister is chosen by the monarch. This is usually the person with the highest support in the House of Commons. In most cases, it is the leader of the majority party. The term of office of the First Minister is closely connected with the period of work of the House of Commons, with the support of which he is elected. The Prime Minister has great power, supervises the work of the government, in short, he is the main representative and adviser of the monarch.
It is interesting that the house at 10 Downing Street in the British capital - London, was originally a personal gift from the King to Robert Walpole - the first Prime Minister of England. However, he refused such a present. It was agreed that the building would become the residence of the first ministers of the country, and since then most of the political figures holding this position have been living at this address.
The Prime Ministers of England, the list of which is quite large, because this position since its introduction in 1721 has been occupied by 53 people, were in different parties and pursued different policies. Each of them had a different degree of influence and was remembered by people in their own way. Below is a brief summary of the most significant figures who left the greatest mark on history.
Robert Walpole (1676-1745)
Robert Walpole began his political career in the House of Commons when he was 25 years old. Under King George III, in 1721, he was appointed chief minister and part-time manager of the state treasury. Since then, it has become customary in the UK to appoint a person who was at the head of the cabinet of ministers to this responsible position.
Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister of England, held this post for the longest of all his successors - he led the country's government for 21 years.
William Pitt the Younger (1759-1806)
He served as First Minister twice: from 1783 to 1801 and from 1804 to 1806. William Pitt Jr.the youngest Prime Minister of England, because he was only 24 years old when he was appointed to this position for the first time. However, the extreme nervous tension that he experienced while at the helm of the state significantly spoiled his he alth, which is why the figure died relatively young.
The years of the reign of William Peet the Younger were difficult for the United Kingdom, because at that time the country lost control of its colonies in North America, which negatively affected the economy. In addition, it was necessary to somehow respond to the French Revolution and develop a strategy for the war with Napoleon. Pitt not only initiated the creation of three anti-Napoleonic coalitions, but also contributed to the preservation of Ireland as part of England.
Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881)
Served in 1868 and 1874-1880. This politician, who in his youth published several novels that attracted a lot of public attention, showed himself as a politician who, along with the tasks of the state level, was also interested in the problems of ordinary people. Disraeli pushed for a law to allow men who worked in the cities to vote. He was also involved in improving the sanitary condition of urban settlements and the living conditions of workers.
In foreign policy, Benjamin Disraeli also achieved considerable success: under him, Queen Victoria received the title of Empress of India, and Great Britain gained control of the Suez Canal. The former Prime Minister of England wasa good speaker, a very witty person, and it was said that his sense of humor did not leave him even in the last moments of his life.
Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Winston Churchill, whose ancestor is the legendary John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough, became known worldwide for his wise administration of Great Britain during the Second World War. However, the history of his life is full of bright episodes. As a child, the future politician was a wayward child, which later prevented him from receiving a full-fledged education. Thus, he decided to go into the military.
In 1899, the future Prime Minister of England resigned and entered politics, and a year later he was elected to Parliament. Initially, Churchill adhered to conservative views, but in 1904 he moved to the Liberal Party, but not forever - in 1924 he returned to the ranks of the Conservatives again. In 1939, the then First Minister of Britain, Neville Chamberlain, appointed Churchill head of the Admir alty, but the following year, King George VI invited him to take over the leadership of the government.
During the war, Winston Churchill had a tough stance against Nazi Germany, while many other politicians allowed for the possibility of agreements with the aggressor. He made a significant contribution to the victory of Great Britain in World War II and left the post of First Minister at the end of it, and was then elected to a second term in 1951-1955.
Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013)
Margaret Thatcher,Born in the family of the owner of two grocers, a chemist by education, she began to be interested in politics from her student days. After working for two years in her speci alty, she entered politics in 1948, and before she had the honor of heading the British government, she happened to be both the Minister of Education and Science and the leader of the Conservative Party.
Since 1979, the new Prime Minister of England is a strong-willed woman, who was subsequently nicknamed the “iron lady” for her sharp criticism of the Soviet Union. However, these qualities helped her to stay on the post of the first minister of the government for 11 years. Sometimes she had to introduce reforms that were not very popular, but nevertheless gave good results.
Under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, the Conservative Party won more than one victory, and the Iron Lady herself was elected to the post of Prime Minister three times, thereby breaking the record for the longest tenure of the Earl of Liverpool, who led the British government from 1812 to 1827
David Cameron (born 1966)
Today, the UK's first minister is David Cameron, who has been in office since 2010. Since 2005, he has been the head of the Conservative Party. After graduating from Oxford University, where he studied economics, politics and philosophy, Cameron received a red diploma. His political career began in 1988 with a job in the research department of the British Conservative Party. cameron someFor a time he was an adviser to the Minister of Finance, worked in the Ministry of the Interior, and even served on the board of governors of a large media company. In 1997, he participated in the elections, but was elected only in 2001.
England Prime Minister David Cameron takes the position that the country's integration with the European Union should not be expanded, and during the 2008 war in Georgia, he proposed imposing visa restrictions against Russia and temporarily excluding it from the G8.
Conclusion
Despite all the specifics of British laws, many of which exist exclusively in the form of traditions and are often conditional, the principles of electing and removing the head of government and other nuances, the system of government in the country works quite efficiently and can even be called democratic. And the Prime Minister of England (Great Britain) in this structure is the second person after the monarch.
