England is one of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom of Great Britain (or simply UK or Britain) alongside Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Up until the 1st of May 1707, England was a sovereign state. It was only through the Acts of the Union that the Kingdom of England became entrenched into the now United Kingdom of Great Britain.

In comparison to the countries in the union, England is under the full jurisdiction of the United Kingdom’s government. Thus, England is a constitutional monarchy. This type of government is characterized by limitations in the powers of the monarchy which function as the head of state. The monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II, reigns but does not rule over England. The monarch is considered the commander in-chief of the armed forces, supreme governor of the Church of England and Church of Scotland, the head of the judiciary. She/He is also able to summon and dismiss the Parliament and the ministers.

England is also a parliamentary form of government meaning that the executive and legislative branches are fused. Another distinctive feature of the British government is that it does not have a codified constitution. The chief executive in England is the Prime Minister which is the Head of Government. The Prime Minister possesses the administrative powers of the government. He leads the cabinet and even chooses the ministers. The members of the cabinet are taken from the two houses of the British legislature- House of Commons and House of Lords.

The House of Commons is the thought to be the ‘real’ political power in England. The House of Commons features the political representative of about 60,000 people. Of the 659 constituencies, around 529 are from England. Members of the House of Commons usually belong to the New Labour or the Conservative political party.

House of Lord comprises of those individuals to sit by virtue of the ecclesiastical offices such as archbishops and bishops. The members of the House of Lords also include individuals who have inherited family titles and those awarded titles because of exemplary service or work. This division comprises of 675 members.

The local government of England is divided into four administrative divisions. It also features nine regions and 41 unitary authorities. The districts in England may either be a borough, city or royal borough. The lowest unit of England’s local government is the civil parish. Such political unit has its origin in the ecclesiastical parishes in the earlier times.