How to become Prime Minister in the UK

How do you become Prime Minister?

Accessibility icon How to become Prime Minister in the UK

The new Prime Minister of Britain

In Britain, people vote for their favourite political party, not directly for the Prime Minister. The country is divided into 650 voting areas called constituencies.

The people in each constituency choose one person to represent it in the House of Commons.

📷  Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament in London, England
Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament in London, England.
Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament in London, England.

Absolute majority

The political party with a majority of representatives in the House of Commons usually gets to choose the Prime Minister. The leader of that winning party becomes the Prime Minister.

Downing street sign, the street of the Prime Minister in London, UK.
Downing street sign, the street of the Prime Minister in London, UK.

Hung parliament

If no party has won clearly, many parties can join together to have enough seats. This is called a coalition. The leader of the main party in the coalition usually becomes the Prime Minister.

This way, the Prime Minister is chosen by the most popular party or parties in Britain.

Houses of Parliament architecture, London, UK
Houses of Parliament architecture, London, UK

Sources:

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