The UK government, the law & your role: study notes
Last reviewed · Reviewed by the BritainTest editorial team
This is chapter 5 of the official handbook. It explains how the UK is governed, how its laws work, and the part you play as a resident. It covers the monarchy, Parliament, elections, the devolved governments and the justice system, plus everyday duties like paying tax and serving on a jury. These study notes are part of our Life in the UK study guide.
How the UK is governed
The UK is a constitutional monarchy: the King is the head of state, but he does not run the country. That is done by an elected government, led by the Prime Minister. The UK does not have a single written constitution; instead its rules come from laws, conventions and documents built up over centuries.
Laws are made by Parliament, which has two parts: the House of Commons, whose members (MPs) are elected, and the House of Lords, whose members are appointed. Elections decide who sits in the Commons, and the party with the most support usually forms the government. Some powers are handed to the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
In this chapter: the five topics
This chapter splits into five focused guides. Each goes deeper on how the institutions work and the facts the test asks about:
| Guide | What it covers |
|---|---|
| The monarchy & the constitution | The King's role, the Commonwealth, and the unwritten constitution. |
| How Parliament works | The Commons and the Lords, the Speaker, the Prime Minister and the Cabinet. |
| Elections & how to vote | First past the post, who can vote, and the electoral register. |
| Devolved governments | The Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Senedd and the Northern Ireland Assembly. |
| The UK justice system | Criminal and civil law, the police, the courts and juries. |
The rest of this page covers the chapter topics that sit outside those five guides.
Local government and the media
Alongside national government, local councils run day-to-day services in your area, such as rubbish collection, local roads and libraries. They are funded partly by council tax and partly by central government, and you elect local councillors.
The UK has a free press. Newspapers and broadcasters are free from government control and can report on and criticise the government. A free media is seen as an important part of a healthy democracy.
The UK and the wider world
The UK plays a part in several international organisations. It is a member of the Commonwealth (an association of countries, most of them former parts of the British Empire, with the King as its head), the United Nations (UN), NATO and the Council of Europe. Knowing that the UK belongs to these, and roughly what each is for, is enough for the test.
Your role in the community
Living in the UK comes with responsibilities as well as rights. Good citizens respect the law, treat others fairly and take part in their community. Some duties are formal:
- Registering to vote and voting in elections once you are eligible.
- Jury service: you may be chosen at random to help decide a case in court. Our justice-system guide covers this in full.
- Helping your community, for example by volunteering or standing for office.
These are the kinds of contributions the handbook encourages, and questions sometimes ask what a good resident or citizen does.
Tax, National Insurance and driving
A few everyday responsibilities come up in this chapter. If you work, you pay income tax on your earnings, usually taken from your pay automatically, and you pay National Insurance contributions, which go towards benefits and the state pension. You need a National Insurance number to work.
If you drive, you must have a driving licence and insurance, and most cars need an MOT test once they are three years old. You can drive a car from the age of 17.
What this chapter tests
Questions here ask about how the system works: who the head of state is, the difference between the Commons and the Lords, the voting age, what the devolved governments do, and the basics of the law and your duties. Learn the big structure first (constitutional monarchy, Parliament, elections, devolution, the courts), then the practical duties, and work through the five guides for the detail.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is the head of state of the UK?
- The King, because the UK is a constitutional monarchy. The head of government is the Prime Minister.
- What is a constitutional monarchy?
- A system where the monarch is head of state but does not run the country. Parliament and the Prime Minister do that, within the law.
- What age can you vote in the UK?
- 18 for UK general elections. You can register to vote before that, and elections use a first-past-the-post system.
- What is National Insurance?
- Contributions paid from your earnings that go towards benefits and the state pension. You need a National Insurance number to work in the UK.
- What civic duties come with living in the UK?
- Obeying the law, paying tax and National Insurance, voting if registered, and serving on a jury if called. Jury members are chosen at random from the electoral register.
Official sources (GOV.UK)
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