The earliest origins of Parliament grew out of the ancient government institutions of Anglo-Saxon and Norman England. The Anglo-Saxons, understanding the need for decentralised power, used a system called the witenagemot.
In 1215, the tenants-in-chief secured Magna Carta from King John. In Magna Carta, a royal council was set up which gradually developed into a parliament.
The House of Lords includes two different types of members: the Lords Spiritual, consisting of the most senior bishops of the Church of England, and the Lords Temporal, consisting of members of the peerage and life peers who are appointed by the Sovereign on the advice of the Prime Minister.
The House of Commons is a democratically elected chamber with elections held at least every five years. The UK public elects 650 Members of Parliament (MPs) to represent their interests and concerns in the House of Commons. MPs consider and propose new laws, and can scrutinise government policies by asking ministers questions about current issues either in the Commons Chamber or in Committees.
The Shadow Cabinet consists of a senior group of opposition spokespeople who, under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition, form an alternative cabinet to that of the government, and whose members shadow or mark each individual member of the Cabinet. It is the Shadow Cabinet's responsibility to criticise the policies and actions of the government, as well as offering an alternative program."
Prime Minister's Questions (often abbreviated to PMQs and officially known as Questions to the Prime Minister) is a constitutional convention in the United Kingdom, currently held as a single session every Wednesday at noon when the House of Commons is sitting, during which the Prime Minister spends around half an hour answering questions from Members of Parliament (MPs).
The first formal question on the Order Paper, posed by simply saying "Number one, Mr. Speaker", is usually to ask the Prime Minister "if he will list his engagements for the day". The Prime Minister usually replies:
议事日程表上第一个正式问题一般都是问“首相大人是否可以列出今天的行程”,而提出问题一般都是说“议长大人,第一个问题(Number one, Mr. Speaker)”而首相一般会回答:
“This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall have further such meetings later today.”
今早我和内阁成员及其他成员开了会,除了完成议会的其他职责外,我今天晚些时候还有一些这样的会议。
Before listing his engagements, the Prime Minister sometimes extends condolences or offers congratulations after significant events. Occasionally the first question tabled is on a specific area of policy, not the engagements question.