England electoral system
The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. The Prime Minister exercises the executive power on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen appoints as Prime Minister the leader of the party that wins the parliamentary elections. The British Parliament is divided into two institutions: the House of Lords – the upper house – and the House of Commons – the lower house. Elections for parliamentary seats only concern members of the House of Commons and are held in each of the 650 territorial constituencies in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Each contest sees a number of candidates standing to be the local Member of Parliament, with an average of 60,000 electors living in each constituency deciding who that person should be. The winner of each constituency seat is the one who gets the most votes. In the United Kingdom’s “first past the post” system, the winner is not required to receive a minimum proportion of votes cast to win. Once the election is over, the leader of the party with a majority of Commons seats automatically becomes Prime Minister and forms a government. Britain’s “first past the post” electoral system inevitably favours the two main national parties, Labour and the Conservatives. It is difficult for smaller groupings to acquire the critical mass of votes needed to challenge Labour or the Conservatives in any one constituency.
In May 1997, Tony Blair won the elections for the first time. He was the youngest Prime Minister since 1812. He stayed until June 2007. He was the longest-serving Labour Prime Minister and his 10-year tenure as Prime Minister was the second longest continuous period (after Margaret Thatcher's) in more than 150 years. If we take a look at what he did within 10 years, it becomes clear that the assessment is quite mixed. Blair's decade in office has been marked by uninterrupted economic growth and a more independent Bank of England. He also managed to establish peace in North Ireland. Blair preserved much of
In May 1997, Tony Blair won the elections for the first time. He was the youngest Prime Minister since 1812. He stayed until June 2007. He was the longest-serving Labour Prime Minister and his 10-year tenure as Prime Minister was the second longest continuous period (after Margaret Thatcher's) in more than 150 years. If we take a look at what he did within 10 years, it becomes clear that the assessment is quite mixed. Blair's decade in office has been marked by uninterrupted economic growth and a more independent Bank of England. He also managed to establish peace in North Ireland. Blair preserved much of