The electorate
Elects members of the House of Commons at a general election.
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🇬🇧 Government power map
Who selects whom in United Kingdom?
Parliamentary constitutional monarchy
United Kingdom
4 institutions · 4 relationshipsHow power connects
Select an institution or a connection to explore.
Follow who selects, appoints or checks whom.
About this system
Voters elect the House of Commons; the Monarch formally appoints the person able to command Commons confidence as Prime Minister; Government proposes and administers policy while Parliament authorizes laws and taxes and scrutinizes ministers.
No invented arrows. A line is published only when an attached constitution or official institution explicitly supports the relationship. An institution source by itself does not justify an inferred line.
4 formal relationships drawn · 2 sources · Verified 2026-08-28
The dots
Institutions represented on this map.
Each institution below has an attached source. Being listed does not imply an unshown formal relationship.
UK Parliament
The House of Commons and House of Lords make laws, authorize taxes, and scrutinize Government.
The Monarch
Formally appoints the Prime Minister under the constitutional process.
Prime Minister and Government
Runs the country, develops policy, and remains accountable to Parliament.
Evidence and limits
Every line has a source. Every missing layer stays visible.
The map describes formal national relationships only. It does not measure democratic quality, legitimacy, actual compliance, or informal influence.
Official or constitutional source
Parliament and the Government
UK Parliament
- Commons election
- Government formation
- Parliamentary authorization
- ministerial accountability
How is the Prime Minister appointed?
House of Commons Library
- Commons confidence
- formal appointment by the Monarch
- government formation
Source notes
Not mapped yetResearch gaps, not assumptions.
- Judicial review and the Human Rights Act
- Devolved governments and legislatures
- The Crown's remaining formal and reserve powers
These maps describe selected formal national relationships, not every informal source of political power.
Reading guideElection results
How to interpret this record
United Kingdom Government Power Map: Who Selects Whom
An election result is a dated publication about a defined contest and reporting area. Certification status, ballot accounting and the voting system determine what the numbers can support.
Identify the election and the reporting stage
A preliminary publication, an election-night update and a final certified result describe different stages. Electionpedia retains the source’s status rather than treating every displayed number as final. For historical research, the source version remains important because later corrections can change a total without changing the identity of the election.
Read the denominator
A vote share needs a denominator: candidate votes, valid votes, ballots cast or another published base. Turnout can use a different base again. Compare the labels before comparing percentages. A margin in votes and a margin in percentage points answer related but different questions.
Read the full election results guide →