Who controls the UK? The Queen or the prime minister?

Question

Who controls the UK? The Queen or the prime minister?

Answer 1

the people,  because they are the ones who vote the members of Parliament, the queen simply puts her signature to any bills that are passed by the Parliament,

Answer 2

The PM rules the government.... the quuen is just like the old experienced grand mother who just advises...

Answer 3

really the PM as he has the royal perogative and the queen acts on the advise of the PM

Answer 4

The queen is like the silver lady on a Rolls Royce, purely symbolic.

Answer 5

im pretty sure the prime minister does

Answer 6

The British monarchy is a system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories, and holds the now constitutional position of head of state. According to convention, the Queen's powers are exercised upon the advice of her prime minister. She does however possess certain reserve powers which she may exercise at her own discretion.

In the UK, the Queen (or King, when there is a male monarch) has numerous theoretical personal prerogatives. In practice, however, with the exception of the appointment of a prime minister, which is done with every prime minister, there are few circumstances in modern British government where these could be justifiably exercised; they have rarely been exercised in the last century. These powers could be exercised in an emergency such as a constitutional crisis. The monarch's personal prerogatives are:

- The refusal to dissolve Parliament when requested by the Prime Minister.

- To appoint a Prime Minister of her own choosing.

- The dismissal of a Prime Minister and his Government on the Monarch's own authority.

- The refusal of the Royal Assent.

- The refusal of the "Queen's Consent," where direct monarchical assent is required for a bill affecting, directly or by implication, the prerogative, hereditary revenues—including ultimus haeres, treasure trove, and bona vacantia—or the personal property or interests of the Crown to be heard in Parliament.

It has long been established in the uncodified Constitution of the United Kingdom that political power is ultimately exercised by the Parliament of the United Kingdom, of which the Sovereign is a non-partisan component, along with the House of Lords and the House of Commons, and by the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Thus, as the modern British monarchy is a constitutional one, the Sovereign's role is in practice limited to non-partisan functions (such as being the fount of honour).

In practice, political power is exercised today through Parliament and by the Prime Minister and Cabinet. The sovereign also holds the title of Supreme Governor of the established Church of England. The monarch holds a weekly audience with the Prime Minister, as well as regular audiences with other members of the Cabinet. The monarch may express his or her views, but, as a constitutional ruler, must ultimately accept the Prime Minister's and Cabinet's decisions.

Answer 7

well  i'm not there  just taking a guess   The Queen  say it the prime minister  does it

Answer 8

The Prime Minister makes more day to day decisions. The Queen does have a weekly meeting with the PM, which means nothing officially, but her input on important matters will be heard.

The Queen bestows knighthood upon citizens who make particularly important cultural contributions. Her lifestyle serves to remind Britons of their culture at its absolute height; ornate, genteel, complex and reserved.  

Don't underestimate the importance of the Queen, particularly this one. Her job, life and her identity are one; she is called to serve. And while the PM will see his/her official service come to an end, the Queen really cannot retire (until death/becoming incapacitated.)

Answer 9

Neither.   Parliament controls the UK.  The Queen rules by the will of the people expressed through Parliament.  The Prime Minister is the leader of the party which has the most seats in Parliament but if he wishes to change anything in law he must put the changes to Parliament and accept the outcome of a vote after the subject has been debated in the House of Commons.   Any such changes must then be ratified by the House of Lords before being signed off as a formality by the Monarch.

Answer 10

tehnically the queen has absolute power however she lets the prime minister run the place. i have proof of this because every time there is a new prime minister he has to ask the queen to for the next parliment. also if the queen decided to do something stupid she would have the power striped from her and we would become a republic

Answer 11

The Government. Britain is not ruled by one person in particular. See answer above for some great websites for further info.

Answer 12

The British Parliament.

The Queen has some power like granting pardons,

awarding knighthoods, etc.

The Prime Minister is an elected official by the

people and has a bit more power, however he

has a staff and the Parliament to deal with.

Checked these websites at wikipedia.org  

for a start of the information you are looking for :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Gov...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_I...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Minis...

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Answer 13

Although the Queen has certain powers, there would almost certainly be an outcry if she exercised one contrary to the wishes of the Prime Minister, Parliament, or the public.  She signs the bills that are brought before her and makes the appointments that the PM advises--so about twenty years ago, it was Margaret Thatcher, a Methodist, who really chose the Archbishop of Canterbury.  The Queen's wishes and opinions may have influence, but they don't have the force of law.  As for who really controls the country, a British friend of mine (surely a Tory!) remarked years ago that it's the labour unions.