House of Commons

In the United Kingdom, the House of Commons is the lower house of Parliament, the nation's supreme legislative authority. The Commons is made up of members of Parliament, or MPs, who are elected by the public. MPs represent the public's interests. The Commons makes laws, approves taxes, holds the government accountable, and works with the House of Lords, the appointed upper house of Parliament.

The Commons has 650 members from across Great Britain, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. MPs are elected in general elections held every five years. After a general election, the head of the political party that has the most MPs is appointed prime minister. Voter reforms have increased the electorate, helping the Commons to become more representative of the public, but the chamber's size continues to come under scrutiny.

Background

The history of the House of Commons is tied to the origins of Parliament. After William the Conqueror took the English throne in 1066, he created an assembly of land-owning magnates, the precursors to the nobility, and religious leaders to advise him. In the thirteenth century, the word parliament was first used to describe the large meeting of the king's council.

King Edward I invited burgesses, representatives elected by citizens in towns and counties, and the knights of the shire to attend the assembly in 1275. These were the earliest MPs. The king needed money, and the representatives agreed to pay taxes to the Crown. From this point forward, the monarchy called a meeting of Parliament whenever it sought revenue.

During the fourteenth century, the assembly began to split into the two distinct houses of Parliament. Those summoned by the king, such as nobility and religious leaders, met as the House of Lords. The elected representatives, the burgesses and the knights, came together as the House of Commons. The Commons emerged as the body that approved taxes. In 1430, the constituencies, or voting districts, were divided into counties and boroughs. The number of citizens eligible to vote in a constituency varied drastically, from ten to a few thousand.

Making laws was left up to the monarchy and the Lords. The Commons represented the public, while the Lords did not. The Commons provided a platform for its MPs to confront the monarchy on behalf of their citizens, identifying royal abuses and bad governance. The MPs in the House of Commons fought for equal legislative power and took a stand in 1414. The chamber proclaimed its assent was essential to the business of enacting laws. Seventy-five years later, judges agreed with them, ruling that legislation was invalid without the Commons' approval.

Growing discord between Parliament and King Charles I led to the English Civil War, which lasted from 1642 to 1651. The king had more supporters in the House of Lords than he did in the House of Commons. When he was executed in 1649, the monarchy and the Lords were abolished. The Commons remained the sole house of Parliament until the restoration of King Charles II in 1660, which led to the reinstitution of the House of Lords. During the eighteenth century, the acts of union with Scotland and Ireland boosted the House of Commons' numbers. By 1801, the chamber's membership rose to 658.

Overview

Over the years, the balance of power in Parliament has gradually shifted from the House of Lords to the House of Commons. The Commons plays a vital role in shaping the government. The United Kingdom is comprised of 650 constituencies, and the public votes for an MP in each one every five years in a general election.

MPs belong to political parties, usually one of the main three—Labour, Liberal Democrat, or Conservative. The party with the most MPs in the chamber becomes the governing party. The leader of the political party with the majority in the House of Commons is appointed prime minister. The prime minister then forms a government at the monarchy's request and chooses other members of his or her party to become government ministers in departments such as defense and health. If no single party holds the majority, two or more parties can form a coalition government.

In Parliament, the main duties of MPs are to make laws, approve taxes, and check the government's actions. All legislation must pass the House of Commons and the House of Lords before it receives the monarchy's approval. The MPs in the Commons propose and weigh bills. They also consider new taxes. The Commons holds the government accountable by addressing matters that affect citizens and debating current issues. They question government ministers about key topics and form committees to investigate issues. In their constituencies, MPs allow members of the public to visit their offices and air their concerns. This is called a surgery. MPs hold surgeries so they can gain insight into their constituents' needs.

In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, a series of voter reforms expanded the electorate and streamlined voting requirements. This enabled the Commons to become more representative of the citizenry. Since medieval times, voting qualifications had differed among counties and boroughs. The Great Reform Act of 1832 created uniform voting qualifications and significantly expanded the electorate. The Second Reform Act of 1867 gave working-class men the right to vote. The Third Reform Act of 1884 increased voter eligibility by 70 percent. The Representation of the People Act in 1918 gave men the universal right to vote based on residence, not land ownership, and allowed some women to vote. The most significant reform was the Representation of the People Act of 1928, which gave all men and women the right to vote.

At 650 members, the size of the House of Commons has drawn concern. The chamber reached a high of 707 members in 1918. In 2016, the government declared it would cut the number of MPs from 650 to 600. The government believes the measure will lower political costs and equalize votes across constituencies. However, the government abandoned this plan after the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union (commonly known as Brexit) because the government recognized that parliament would have a greater workload after Brexit.

Bibliography

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