Citizen rights and responsibilities
The nutshell
A citizen is a full member of a country. In the UK, a citizen has rights, such as the right to vote, and responsibilities, such as obeying the law and doing jury service when asked.
Every fact on this page comes from official rules and non-partisan guides. Each source tag — like EC — opens where a fact comes from.
The basics
What a citizen is
A citizen is a full legal member of a country. Being a UK citizen bringsrights — things a citizen is free to do — and responsibilities— things a citizen is expected to do. Rights and responsibilities are two sides of belonging to a country.
The right to vote
One of the best-known rights is the vote. A British, Irish or qualifying Commonwealth citizen who is 18 or over, lives in the UK and has registered can vote in a general election.EC Registering and voting are two separate steps. A vote can only be cast after registering first.
Speaking up: MPs and petitions
Every area of the UK, called a constituency, has one MP. That MP represents everyone in the area, whether or not each person voted for that MP, and anyone affected by a decision can get in touch.Parl Another way to be heard is a petition to Parliament. A petition that reaches 10,000 signatures gets a response from the government, and one that reaches 100,000 signatures will be considered for a debate in Parliament.Parl
Responsibilities
Rights come with responsibilities. A citizen is expected to obey the law and to pay taxes that fund public services. One clear duty is jury service. Names are picked at random from the electoral register, and a person aged 18 to 75 who is summoned must reply within seven days and normally must attend court.GOV
- A British, Irish or qualifying Commonwealth citizen aged 18 or over who has registered can vote in a general election, according to the Electoral Commission
- An MP represents everyone in a local area, whether or not each person voted for that MP, according to UK Parliament
- A petition to Parliament that reaches 100,000 signatures will be considered for a debate, according to the UK Parliament petitions site
- Being eligible and being registered are not the same thing, and a vote can only be cast after registering, according to the Electoral Commission
- Jury service is a public duty, not a choice, and a summons normally must be answered by people aged 18 to 75, according to GOV.UK
- Reaching 100,000 signatures leads to a debate being considered, not a change in the law, according to the UK Parliament petitions site
The deep end6 min
What citizenship carries
Citizenship is full legal membership of a country. In the UK it brings a set of rights — freedoms and entitlements a citizen can use — and a set of responsibilities — duties a citizen is expected to meet. Some rights and duties apply to everyone living in the UK, and some apply only to citizens or only to registered voters. The sections below set out a few of the clearest examples, each with an official source.
The right to vote, in detail
The right to vote in a UK general election is not open to every resident. The Electoral Commission sets out who can register and vote. A British citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Ireland, or a qualifying Commonwealth citizen, who is resident in the UK, aged 18 or over on polling day, and on the electoral register, can vote for a Member of Parliament.EC Being eligible is not the same as being able to vote. A vote can only be cast once registration is complete, so registering is the first step.
Being represented, and being heard
The UK is divided into 650 constituencies, and each returns one MP. UK Parliament states that an MP represents all the people in a local area, whether or not each person voted for that MP, and that anyone affected by a decision of Parliament or the government can contact a local MP.Parl A second route is a public petition. On the official UK Parliament petitions site, a petition that reaches 10,000 signatures gets a written response from the UK Government, and one that reaches 100,000 signatures will be considered for a debate in Parliament.Parl Reaching 100,000 signatures does not guarantee a debate, and it does not change the law by itself. The Petitions Committee decides which petitions are debated.
Responsibilities and duties
Some responsibilities are shared by everyone in the country, such as obeying the law and paying taxes that fund public services. Others fall on particular people at particular times. Jury service is one clear legal duty. GOV.UK explains that jurors are chosen at random from the electoral register, that qualifying jurors are aged 18 to 75, and that a summoned person must reply within seven days and normally must attend court.GOVFailing to attend without a good reason can lead to a fine. A few groups can ask to be excused or to delay, but for most people a summons is not optional.
Rights and responsibilities are linked. The vote lets citizens choose who makes decisions, and duties like jury service and paying tax keep the shared systems running. This page does not say which rights or duties matter most. It sets out what the official rules are, so a reader can look up the rules and decide what to make of the facts.