What is "the government"?
The nutshell
The government is the team of people who run the country day to day. It is led by the Prime Minister, who picks ministers to take charge of things like schools, hospitals and money.
Every fact on this page comes from official guides to how UK government works and non-partisan explainers. Each source tag — like GOV — opens where a fact comes from.
The basics
What "the government" means
The government is the team of people who run the country day to day. GOV.UK explains that the government is led by the Prime Minister, who appoints ministers to take charge of areas like schools, hospitals and money.GOV The most senior ministers form a smaller top team called the Cabinet.GOV
Government is not the same as Parliament
It is easy to mix up the government and Parliament, but the two do different jobs. UK Parliament explains that the government runs the country, while Parliament makes the laws, decides taxes and checks the government's work.ParlThe government cannot make a new law or raise a new tax on its own. Parliament must agree first.Parl
Where ministers come from
A minister is a person the Prime Minister puts in charge of part of the government. The Institute for Government explains that ministers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister, and are chosen from the House of Commons or the House of Lords.IfG So the government is drawn from Parliament, not separate from it.
How a government is formed
After a general election, the monarch asks one person to form a government. The House of Commons Library explains that a government has to command the confidence of the House of Commons, which usually means the party with the most MPs.HoC The leader of that party becomes Prime Minister.
- The government and Parliament are not the same thing. The government runs the country, and Parliament checks its work and votes on new laws (UK Parliament)
- The government is led by the Prime Minister, who picks the ministers and the smaller top team called the Cabinet (GOV.UK)
- Ministers are chosen from the House of Commons or the House of Lords, so the government is drawn from Parliament (Institute for Government)
- "The government" is not one person. GOV.UK counts around 120 ministers, plus the civil service that carries out the work
- The government cannot make a law on its own. UK Parliament states that new laws and new taxes need Parliament's agreement
- The monarch appoints the Prime Minister, but by long custom picks whoever can command the confidence of the House of Commons, usually the party with the most MPs (House of Commons Library)
The deep end6 min
What the government is, in full
In the UK, "the government" means His Majesty's Government — the ministers who run the country and set its policies. GOV.UK records that the government is led by the Prime Minister, who appoints all other ministers and is responsible for policy and decisions.GOV GOV.UK lists around 120 government ministers, of whom the most senior, about two dozen, sit in the Cabinet.GOV
Ministers do not carry out all of the work directly. GOV.UK explains that government departments and agencies, such as the Treasury and the Home Office, put policy into practice, and that the civil service does the practical and administrative work of government.GOV
Government, Parliament and the monarch
The government is only one part of the wider system. UK Parliament sets out that Parliament, not the government, makes the laws, decides taxes and scrutinises the work of the government.Parl A government cannot make a new law or raise a new tax without the agreement of Parliament.Parl
Ministers are drawn from Parliament. The Institute for Government records that ministers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister, and are chosen from either the House of Commons or the House of Lords.IfG The role of the monarch in appointing ministers and the Prime Minister is formal, guided by long-standing custom.
How a government takes office
The core rule is confidence. The House of Commons Library explains that a government must be able to command the confidence of the House of Commons — the support of a majority of MPs — to take office and to stay in office.HoC After a general election that gives one party a majority, the leader of that party is invited to form a government and becomes Prime Minister.HoC Where no party has a majority, the party that can still command confidence, on its own or with others, forms the government.