Governance of England

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Governance of England" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (July 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

This article is part of a series within the
Politics of the United Kingdom on the

Politics of England

The Crown

* Monarch: Charles III
* Heir Apparent: William, Prince of Wales

* * *

* Republicanism in the United Kingdom

Governance

* King-in-Council: Charles III
* Prime Minister: Keir Starmer (L)
* Deputy Prime Minister: Angela Rayner (L)

Legislative

* King-in-Parliament: Charles III
* House of Lords
* Lord Speaker: The Lord McFall of Alcluith

* * *

* Reform of the House of Lords

* * *

* House of Commons
* Speaker: Sir Lindsay Hoyle
* MPs for England Constituencies

Elections

UK General Elections in England

* * *

* 1801 co-option
* 1802
* 1806
* 1807
* 1812
* 1818
* 1820
* 1826
* 1830
* 1831
* 1832
* 1835
* 1837
* 1841
* 1847
* 1852
* 1857
* 1859
* 1865
* 1868
* 1874
* 1880
* 1885
* 1886
* 1892
* 1895
* 1900
* 1906
* 1910 (Jan)
* 1910 (Dec)
* 1918
* 1922
* 1923
* 1924
* 1929
* 1931
* 1935
* 1945
* 1950
* 1951
* 1955
* 1959
* 1964
* 1966
* 1970
* 1974 (Feb)
* 1974 (Oct)
* 1979
* 1983
* 1987
* 1992
* 1997
* 2001
* 2005
* 2010
* 2015
* 2017
* 2019
* 2024

Judiciary

* King-on-the-Bench: Charles III
* Supreme Court
* President: The Lord Reed of Allermuir
* High Court of Justice
* Courts
* English Law

Regions

* East of England
* London
* East Midlands
* West Midlands
* North East
* North West
* South East
* South West
* Yorkshire and the Humber

Administration

* History
* Subdivisions

* Historic Counties
* Ceremonial Counties
* Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties
* Metropolitan county
* Non-metropolitan county
* Greater London
* Unitary authorities (list)
* Districts (list)
* Metropolitan Borough
* Non-metropolitan District
* London Borough
* Combined authorities
* Mayoral Council for England
* Civil parishes (list)

* Category
* England portal

* Other countries

* v
* t
* e

There has not been a government of England since 1707 when the Kingdom of England ceased to exist as a sovereign state, as it merged with the Kingdom of Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain.[1] The Kingdom of Great Britain continued from 1707 until 1801 when it merged with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, which itself became the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) in 1922 (in reality; in name in 1927) upon independence for most of the island of Ireland.

## Background

[edit]

The UK since then has gone through significant change to its system of government, with devolved parliaments, assemblies and governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. England, however, remains under the full jurisdiction, on all matters, of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the UK government as no devolved administration has been created for England within the new structure.

This situation led to the anomaly, known as the West Lothian question, which is that Scottish Members of Parliament (MPs) have been able to vote on legislation that affects only England whereas English MPs have been unable to vote on certain Scottish matters due to devolution. In some cases, such as top-up university tuition fees and foundation hospitals, the votes of Scottish MPs have been crucial in helping pass legislation for England that the majority of English MPs have opposed.[citation needed] An attempt was made to address this anomaly in 2015 through the use of an English votes for English laws procedure which aims to ensure that legislation affecting only England requires a majority vote of MPs representing English constituencies.

Another possible solution to the West Lothian question would have been devolution to the English regions but attempts have been unsuccessful so far. Amongst the parts of England, Greater London has a degree of devolved power (although weaker than that of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) with power vested in an elected Mayor of London, currently Sadiq Khan and the London Assembly.

The country is therefore officially divided into the following in terms of governance:

* The nine English regions,
* The modern day local authority areas,
* The geographical/ceremonial counties of England.

The incumbent government has no plans to create a devolved English parliament.

## Devolved governance within England

[edit]

First meeting of the Mayoral Council for England on 10 October 2024.

Main articles: Devolution in the United Kingdom, Mayoral Council for England, Greater London Authority, and Combined authority

As of October 2024, powers have been devolved to the Greater London Authority and 11 mayoral Combined Authorities to varying degrees. There are proposals for more combined authorities to be established in the future.[2]

Former prime minister David Cameron had proposed that combined authority mayors sit within an "English Cabinet of Mayors" giving them the opportunity to share ideas and represent their regions at national level. The cabinet of mayors would be chaired by the prime minister and would meet at least twice a year.[3][4]

In 2022, Labour also proposed a similar body to be known as the "Council of England", chaired by the prime minister, to bring together combined authority mayors, representatives of local government and other stakeholders.[5]The 2024 Labour manifesto includes plans for a "Council of the Nations and Regions" which would include the Prime Minister, the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales, the First and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, and the Mayors of Combined Authorities in England.[6]

In 2024, the newly elected Labour government established a UK wide Council of the Nations and Regions including the Prime Minister, the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales, the First and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, the Mayor of London and the Mayors of Combined Authorities, and a Mayoral Council for England bringing together ministers from the UK government, the Mayor of London and Mayors of England's Combined Authorities.[7] As of October 2024, 48% of the population and 26% of the land area of England is represented on the Mayoral Council.[8]

## 'England-only' departments of the UK government

[edit]

Several government departments, executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies of the UK government have responsibilities for matters affecting England alone.[9]

### Ministerial departments

[edit]

* Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
* Department for Education
* Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
* Department of Health and Social Care

The following ministerial departments deal mainly with matters affecting England though they also have some UK-wide responsibilities in certain areas;

* Department for Transport
* Department for Culture, Media and Sport

### Non-ministerial departments

[edit]

* Forestry Commission
* Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted)
* Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual)

### Executive agencies

[edit]

* Active Travel England
* Education and Skills Funding Agency
* Health Security Agency
* Planning Inspectorate
* Rural Payments Agency
* Standards and Testing Agency
* Teaching Regulation Agency

### Non-departmental public bodies

[edit]

* Arts Council England
* Care Quality Commission
* Children's Commissioner for England
* Forestry England
* Historic England
* Homes England
* Natural England
* NHS England
* NHS Resolution
* Office for Local Government (Oflog)
* Office for Students
* Office of the Schools Adjudicator
* Regulator of Social Housing
* School Teachers' Review Body
* Skills England
* Social Work England
* Sport England
* VisitEngland

### Tribunals

[edit]

* Valuation Tribunal for England

### Ombudsman

[edit]

* Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman

### Government owned companies

[edit]

* Community Health Partnerships
* Genomics England
* National Highways
* NHS Property Services
* NHS Professionals
* NHS Shared Business Services

## Historical governments of England

[edit]

* Government in Anglo-Saxon England
* Government in Norman and Angevin England
* Government in late medieval England
* Elizabethan government

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Welcome parliament.uk, accessed 5 March
2. ^ (1) Henderson (2) Paun, (1) Duncan (2) Akash (March 6, 2023). "English Devolution". Institute for Government.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
3. ^ "Mayoral referendums: The mayors of the twinned cities". BBC News. 19 April 2012.
4. ^ "Rival campaigns fight over directly-elected mayors in England". BBC News. 12 April 2012.
5. ^ https://labour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Commission-on-the-UKs-Future.pdf [bare URL PDF]
6. ^ "Serving the country".
7. ^ "Serving the country".
8. ^ https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/english-devolution
9. ^ https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Devolving-English-Government.pdf

## Further reading

[edit]

* Report on devolution and the governance of England, House of Commons Justice Committee, 24 May 2009
* English devolution - Institute for Government

## See also

[edit]

* England portal

* Politics of England
* West Lothian question
* Devolved English parliament
* List of parliaments of England
* Campaign for an English Parliament

* v
* t
* e

England articles

History|

| Overviews|

* Timeline
* History of England
* Education
* Local government
* Maritime
* Military
* English society
* British Isles
* United Kingdom

|

Ancient|

* Prehistoric
* Roman Britain
* Lloegyr
* History of Anglo-Saxons
* Anglo-Saxon England
* Heptarchy
* Settlement of Britain

Middle Ages|

* Kingdom of England
* Norman Conquest
* Angevin Empire
* Wars of the Roses

Early Modern|

* Tudor period
* Stuart period
* English Renaissance
* English Reformation
* Elizabethan era
* Jacobean era
* Civil War
* Union with Scotland
* Treaty of Union
* Georgian era

Late Modern|

* Regency era
* Victorian era
* Edwardian era
* The Blitz

Contemporary|

* Postwar Britain (1945–1979)
* Political history of the United Kingdom (1979–present)
* Social history of the United Kingdom (1979–present)

Prior Kingdoms|

* Kingdom of Essex
* Kingdom of Northumbria
* Kingdom of East Anglia
* Kingdom of Mercia
* Kingdom of Sussex

Related|

* House of Plantagenet
* House of Lancaster
* House of York

Geography|

* Counties
* Districts
* Gardens
* Islands
* Parishes
* Places
* Regions
* Towns

Politics|

* Economy
* Middle Ages
* Elizabethan government
* Independence
* Monarchy
* Parliament

Culture|

* Afternoon tea
* Anglophilia
* Art
* Castles
* Country clothing
* Cuisine
* Demographics
* Education
* Folklore
* Fête
* Landscape garden
* Identity
* Innovations and discoveries
* English language in England
* Middle England
* Museums
* People
* list
* Religion
* Church of England
* Science education
* Sunday Roast

Sport|

* Cricket
* national team
* Football
* The Football Association
* national team
* Rugby league
* Rugby Football League
* national team
* Rugby union
* Rugby Football Union
* national team
* Wimbledon

Symbols|

* Anthem
* Coat of arms
* Flags
* national flag
* Heraldry
* Oak tree
* Royal standards
* Royal supporters
* Saint George
* Saint George's Day
* Tudor rose

* Outline

* Category
* Portal

* v
* t
* e

Kingdom of England

History|

* Timeline
* Anglo-Saxon England
* Heptarchy
* Kingdom of England
* Norman Conquest
* Anglo-Normans
* The Anarchy
* Angevin Empire
* England in the late Middle Ages
* Economy in the Middle Ages
* Wars of the Roses
* Tudor period
* English Reformation
* Elizabethan era
* English Renaissance
* Stuart period
* Union of the Crowns
* Gunpowder Plot
* Jacobean era
* Civil War
* Interregnum
* Commonwealth of England
* The Protectorate
* The Restoration
* Popish Plot
* Exclusion Crisis
* Glorious Revolution
* Union with Scotland
* Overseas possessions
* Crown
* Proprietary
* Protectorate
* Maritime history

Royal Houses|

* Wessex
* Knýtlinga
* Normandy
* Angevin
* Plantagenet
* Lancaster
* York
* Tudor
* Stuart
* Orange-Nassau

* Politics
* Law

* Witan
* Curia regis
* Magnum Concilium
* Parliament
* House of Lords
* House of Commons
* King's Secretary
* Monarchy
* Council of State
* Lord Protector
* Peerage
* Privy Council
* Ministries
* Secretary of State
* Governance
* Anglo-Saxon
* Medieval
* Elizabethan
* Star Chamber
* Whigs
* Tories

* Acts of Parliament:
* 1225–1267
* 1275–1307
* 1308–1325
* Temp. incert.
* 1327–1376
* 1377–1397
* 1399–1411
* 1413–1421
* 1422–1460
* 1461
* 1463
* 1464
* 1467
* 1468
* 1472
* 1474
* 1477
* 1482
* 1483
* 1485
* 1487
* 1488
* 1491
* 1495
* 1496
* 1503
* 1509
* 1511
* 1512
* 1513
* 1514
* 1515
* 1523
* 1529
* 1530
* 1531
* 1532
* 1533
* 1534
* 1535
* 1536
* 1539
* 1540
* 1541
* 1542
* 1543
* 1545
* 1546
* 1547
* 1548
* 1549
* 1551
* 1553
* 1554
* 1555
* 1557
* 1558
* 1562
* 1566
* 1571
* 1572
* 1575
* 1580
* 1584
* 1586
* 1588
* 1592
* 1597
* 1601
* 1603
* 1605
* 1606
* 1609
* 1620
* 1623
* 1625
* 1627
* 1640
* 1642–1660
* 1660
* 1661
* 1662
* 1663
* 1664
* 1665
* 1666
* 1667
* 1670
* 1672
* 1675
* 1677
* 1678
* 1679
* 1680
* 1685
* 1688
* 1689
* 1690
* 1691
* 1692
* 1693
* 1694
* 1695
* 1696
* 1697
* 1698
* 1700
* 1701
* 1702
* 1703
* 1704
* 1705
* 1706

Military|

* Anglo-Saxon military
* Warfare
* English Army
* New Model Army
* Royal Navy
* Ships
* History

Geography|

* Counties
* Islands
* Places
* Towns
* Castles
* Palaces

Demographics|

* English language
* English people
* list

Culture|

* Religion
* Church of England
* Cuisine
* Folklore
* Morris dance
* Country dance

Architecture|

* Anglo-Saxon
* English Gothic
* Tudor
* Elizabethan
* Jacobean
* Queen Anne
* Georgian

Symbols|

* National flag (list)
* Heraldry
* Coat of arms
* College of Arms
* Royal badges
* Royal supporters
* Royal standards
* Crown Jewels
* Tudor rose
* Oak tree
* St George
* St George's Day

* v
* t
* e

Government in Europe

Sovereign states|

* Albania
* Andorra
* Armenia
* Austria
* Azerbaijan
* Belarus
* Belgium
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Cyprus
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* Georgia
* Germany
* Greece
* Hungary
* Iceland
* Ireland
*   * Italy
* Kazakhstan
* Latvia
* Liechtenstein
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* Malta
* Moldova
* Monaco
* Montenegro
* Netherlands
* North Macedonia
* Norway
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Russia
* San Marino
* Serbia
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Turkey
* Ukraine
* United Kingdom
* Vatican City

States with limited
recognition|

* Abkhazia
* Kosovo
* Northern Cyprus
* South Ossetia
* Transnistria

Dependencies and
other entities|

* Åland
* Faroe Islands
* Gibraltar
* Guernsey
* Isle of Man
* Jersey
* Svalbard

Other entities|

* European Union

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template