AQA A-Level Politics UK Government: a complete overview of the constitution, Parliament, the executive, the branches and devolution

What the UK Government component demands

UK Government is the study of how the United Kingdom is governed: the rules that constitute the system, the institutions that exercise power, and the limits on that power. AQA tests two linked skills: precise knowledge of institutions, reforms and cases, and balanced evaluation of where power really lies. This guide walks through all five topics in specification order, then sets out the exam patterns AQA repeats. Each topic has a matching dot-point page with practice questions; this overview ties them together.

The constitution

The UK constitution is uncodified, unentrenched and unitary (though increasingly devolved). It rests on two principles: parliamentary sovereignty (Parliament is the supreme legal authority) and the rule of law (everyone is subject to and equal before the law). Its sources are statute law, common law, conventions, authoritative works and treaties. Since 1997 it has been heavily reformed through devolution, the Human Rights Act 1998, the House of Lords Act 1999, the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 and the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011. The recurring essay is whether the UK should adopt a codified constitution: supporters want clarity and entrenched rights, opponents value flexibility and democratic control.

Parliament

Parliament is bicameral. The House of Commons is elected and dominant, controlling finance and able to remove a government; the House of Lords is unelected and revising, able only to delay most legislation under the Parliament Acts. Parliament performs three core functions: representation, legislation (through the bill stages in both Houses) and scrutiny of the executive (through questions, debates and select committees). The key evaluation is how effectively it does these, given executive dominance through the whip system and the government's Commons majority.

The prime minister and executive

The executive is the prime minister, Cabinet and government departments. The PM's powers, none of them fixed in a single document, include patronage, chairing the Cabinet, setting the agenda, party leadership and prerogative powers. The Cabinet operates under collective responsibility (public unity or resignation) and ministers under individual responsibility (answerability for their department and conduct). The central debate is whether the PM has become presidential; the answer depends on the size of the Commons majority, party unity, personal authority and events, so always use named examples.

Relationships between branches

The UK has a fusion of executive and legislature, but the judiciary was separated when the Supreme Court replaced the Law Lords in 2009 under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005. The Court uses judicial review to check that ministers act within the law, protected by judicial independence and neutrality, but it cannot strike down an Act of Parliament because of sovereignty. Landmark cases include Miller (No. 1, 2017) and Miller (No. 2, 2019). The historic influence of the European Union (supremacy of EU law, as in Factortame) was the main modern limit on sovereignty, removed by Brexit.

Devolution

Devolution transferred powers to elected bodies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland after referendums in 1997 to 1998. It is asymmetric: Scotland has the most powers (primary legislation and tax-varying powers), Wales has grown closer to that model, and Northern Ireland uses power-sharing under the Good Friday Agreement. England has no parliament of its own, producing the West Lothian question. Devolution has made the UK quasi-federal, but Westminster remains legally sovereign, and the future of the Union remains contested after the 2014 Scottish referendum.

How UK Government is examined

A typical AQA profile for UK Government:

• Source questions. Analysing extracts on a reform or debate, using the source and your own knowledge.
• 25-mark essays. Evaluating where power lies, for example "the UK should adopt a codified constitution", "the PM has become presidential", or "Parliament is effective at holding the executive to account".
• Synoptic links. Connecting the constitution, Parliament, the executive, the judiciary and devolution into a single argument about power.

Check your knowledge

A mix of recall and evaluation prompts covering UK Government. Attempt them under timed conditions, then check against the solutions.

1. Define parliamentary sovereignty. (2 marks)
2. Identify two sources of the UK constitution. (2 marks)
3. Explain why the UK constitution is described as uncodified. (3 marks)
4. Outline two functions of Parliament. (4 marks)
5. Explain the doctrine of collective ministerial responsibility. (3 marks)
6. Distinguish between judicial independence and judicial neutrality. (3 marks)
7. Explain why the UK Supreme Court cannot strike down an Act of Parliament. (3 marks)
8. Explain what is meant by the West Lothian question. (3 marks)