Prime Minister or King: who has more power in the UK and how is it different from the US?

The United Kingdom held its first general elections since 2019, and the Labor Party won by a landslide, returning to power for the first time in 14 years.

The party’s leader Sir Keir Starmer will become the UK’s 58th prime minister. Starmer was able to take the post only after King Charles III formally asked him to create a new government during a ceremony held on Friday.

The appointment of Starmer was symbolic of the fact that technically, it is still the royal authority that grants the right to lead in the United Kingdom, even though elected members of parliament have held power for centuries.

READ ALSO: The iconic address where the UK Prime Minister resides

Prime Minister or King: who has more power in the UK?

The prime minister is the UK head of the government, and is ultimately responsible for all its policies and decisions. According to the UK government website, the prime minister also oversees the operation of the Civil Service and government agencies, appoints members of the government, and is the principal government figure in the House of Commons.

Meanwhile, the ruling monarch- in this case King Charles III- is the head of state. He appears to the public as the head of the nation, although he is constitutionally obliged to follow the government’s advice on national matters. However, the king is likewise empowered by the constitution to exercise the royal prerogative and go against the advice of the prime minister. This has rarely happened, and the monarch would probably only do so in case of emergency.

READ ALSO: Keeping order during Parliament arguments

What are the differences between the US and UK systems of choosing leaders?

The first major difference is that the United States has no monarchy: the president is both head of the government and head of state, as opposed to the UK which has one person per position. The prime minister is chosen through elections, while the monarch arrives at the position by virtue of birth.

Another is that in the United Kingdom, the people do not directly elect their prime minister. They vote for a member of parliament or MP that represents their hometown. There are 650 constituencies which vote for one MP each. These members of parliament all belong to a party, and the party which has the most MPs will be the one that chooses the prime minister. The leader of the party usually becomes the PM.

In the U.S., the two main parties- the Democrats and the Republicans, decide who they will field to run for the position of president. Elections are then held for people to cast their ballot for their preferred candidate.

In the United Kingdom, the party chooses the Prime Minister, while in the United States, the people are the ones who select their president.