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The Government is responsible for deciding how the country is run and for managing things on a day to day basis.
The people in the government are responsible for making key decisions, such as what to spend money on, what taxes to charge the public and what services to provide them in return.
This section looks at how different parts of the Government work and why they are important in the running of the country. Click through the tabs below to find out more about the UK Government and Prime Minister.
Structure of the Government
The Government in the UK is technically known as Her Majesty's Government, running the country on behalf of the monarch. The party winning the most seats in the House of Commons at a General Election will usually be invited by the Queen to form a Government. The role of the monarch is a largely ceremonial one and their power has reduced over time.
The Prime Minister is the leader of the Government and is ultimately responsible for all policy and decisions that it makes.
The Cabinet is a group of senior members of the government (known as Cabinet ministers) which meets to discuss the most important issues for the government. Ministers are chosen by the Prime Minister from members of Parliament and are responsible for the actions of different departments
There are 24 ministerial departments. These departments are led by government ministers and are served by civil servants. For example, the Department for Education is responsible for children's services and education.
There are also 20 non-ministerial departments and over 400 agencies and other public bodies that work with the government, from the Broads Authority to the Bank of England.
