Her Majesty's Government

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"UK government" and "Government of the United Kingdom" redirect here. This article refers to the UK Government, i.e. Her Majesty's Government, based at 10 Downing Street. For the general topic of governance in the United Kingdom, see Politics of the United Kingdom.

United Kingdom

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of the United Kingdom

Government Sovereign Queen Elizabeth II The Crown The Privy Council Cabinet Prime Minister Gordon Brown MP Chancellor Alistair Darling MP Foreign Secretary David Miliband MP Home Secretary Alan Johnson MP Justice Secretary Jack Straw MP Full list of members Her Majesty's Civil Service Departments Executive agencies Parliament State Opening of Parliament Act of Parliament House of Lords Lord Speaker Baroness Hayman House of Commons Speaker John Bercow MP Leader Harriet Harman MP Prime Minister's Questions Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition Leader David Cameron MP Shadow Cabinet Judiciary Courts of the United Kingdom Courts of England and Wales Courts of Northern Ireland Courts of Scotland Constitution Human rights Countries of the UK Politics of England English Regional Assemblies Greater London Authority Politics of Scotland Scottish Government Scottish Parliament Politics of Wales Welsh Assembly Government National Assembly for Wales Politics of Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Executive Northern Ireland Assembly Reserved matters Elections Elections in the United Kingdom Parliament constituencies Political parties Last election Next election Foreign Policy Foreign relations Politics of the European Union

Other countries · Atlas  Politics portal view • talk • edit

Her Majesty's Government ("His" when appropriate) is the government of the United Kingdom, based at 10 Downing Street. Apart from the United Kingdom, the phrase has been (and sometimes currently is) used by other countries which recognise the head of state of the United Kingdom as their own also.^[1]

In UK constitutional law, executive authority is notionally vested in the monarch and exercised through the ministers. In effect, the government is an executive authority consisting of the monarch's ministers. In Commonwealth usage, the term "government" does not relate to parliament or the courts, but only to the executive branch.^{[citation needed]}

The terms "Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom" or "Her Britannic Majesty's Government" may be used to avoid ambiguity, when necessary.^[2]

Her Majesty's Government is currently formed by the Labour Party, in power since 1997, and under the premiership of Gordon Brown.

Contents 1 History of the term 2 Usage 3 See also 4 References 5 External links

[edit] History of the term

In the British Empire, the term "His (or Her) Majesty's Government" was originally only used by the Imperial Government in London. With the development of the Commonwealth, the self-governing Dominions came to be seen as realms of the Sovereign equal in status to the United Kingdom, and from the 1920s and 1930s the form "His Majesty's Government in ..." began to be used by United Kingdom and Dominion governments. Colonial, state and provincial governments, on the other hand, continued to use the lesser title "Government of ...". There was also His Majesty's Government in the Irish Free State.^{[citation needed]}

Today, however, most Commonwealth realm governments have now reverted to the form "Government of ...", and it is today mainly in the United Kingdom that the titles "Her Majesty's Government", "Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom" or "Her Britannic Majesty's Government," the last in dealings with foreign states and on British passports, can be found in official use. Although very uncommon today in other Commonwealth Realms, this usage is not incorrect; in a 1989 Canadian Supreme Court decision, one of the Justices referred to "Her Majesty's Government for the Province of Nova Scotia".^[3]

[edit] Usage

The abbreviation HMG is often used by members of the government and their advisers as a convenient short label to describe members of the Cabinet and the senior civil servants in departments of the United Kingdom Government. The term comes from the formal constitutional position that ministers govern the state by advising the Crown through the Privy Council.

Individual governments (also known historically as ministries) may also be identified by reference to the Prime Minister who leads them (e.g. the Attlee government, or Gladstone's second ministry).

[edit] See also

• Politics of the United Kingdom
• Cabinet of the United Kingdom
• Departments of the United Kingdom Government
• Directgov
• Her Majesty's Government Communication Centre
• Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council
• Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition
• State Opening of Parliament
• Northern Ireland Executive
• Scottish Government
• Welsh Assembly Government
• Comparison of United States and British governments
• List of British governments

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official website of 10 Downing Street
• Directgov, the UK government public services website, produced by the Central Office of Information
  • DirectGov - Guide To Government
• Her Majesty's Government, a directory compiled by the House of Commons Information Office

v • d • e British-Irish Council Belfast Agreement Member jurisdictions  Ireland ·  United Kingdom ·  Guernsey ·  Isle of Man ·  Jersey · Northern Ireland ·  Scotland ·  Wales Member bodies Government of Ireland · Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom · Council of Ministers of Jersey · Isle of Man Government · Northern Ireland Executive · Policy Council of Guernsey · Scottish Government · Welsh Assembly Government Work areas Demography · eHealth · Environment · Indigenous, minority and lesser-used languages · Knowledge economy · Misuse of drugs · Social inclusion · Tourism · Transport

v • d • e Governments of Europe Sovereign states Albania · Andorra · Armenia1 · Austria · Azerbaijan2 · Belarus · Belgium · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Bulgaria · Croatia · Cyprus1 · Czech Republic · Denmark · Estonia · Finland · France · Georgia2 · Germany · Greece · Hungary · Iceland · Ireland · Italy · Kazakhstan3 · Latvia · Liechtenstein · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Republic of Macedonia · Malta · Moldova · Monaco · Montenegro · Netherlands · Norway · Poland · Portugal · Romania · Russia3 · San Marino · Serbia · Slovakia · Slovenia · Spain · Sweden · Switzerland · Turkey3 · Ukraine · United Kingdom (England • Northern Ireland • Scotland • Wales) · Vatican City Other entities European Union · Sovereign Military Order of Malta Dependencies, autonomies, other territories Abkhazia 2 · Adjara1 · Adygea · Akrotiri and Dhekelia · Åland · Azores · Bashkortostan · Catalonia · Chechnya · Chuvashia · Crimea · Dagestan · Faroe Islands · Gagauzia · Gibraltar · Guernsey · Ingushetia · Jan Mayen · Jersey · Kabardino-Balkaria · Kalmykia · Karachay-Cherkessia · Republic of Karelia · Komi Republic · Kosovo · Madeira · Isle of Man · Mari El · Mordovia · Nagorno-Karabakh1 · Nakhchivan1 · North Ossetia-Alania · Northern Cyprus1 · South Ossetia 2 · Svalbard · Tatarstan · Transnistria · Udmurtia · Vojvodina Italics indicates an unrecognised or partially recognised country.  1 Entirely in Asia, but historically considered European.  2 Partially or entirely in Asia, depending on the border definitions.  3 Transcontinental country.