Palace of Westminster (a/k/a the Houses of Parliament)
Photo by David Iliff via Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 2.5 Generic License
Until quite recently, the UK's governing structure has been characterized by a high degree of centralization, with power concentrated in Parliament, the national legislature that meets in London.
Since 1999, however, some legislative powers have been devolved to a new Scottish Parliament, sitting in Edinburgh, a new Welsh Assembly, sitting in Cardiff, and a new Northern Ireland Assembly, sitting in Belfast.
Further movement toward a more decentralized governing structure is likely, but a shift to a fully federal system would be difficult achieve due to the fact that England accounts for nearly 85 percent of the UK's population.
The following pages describe the three components of the UK government at the national level:
Photo by Colin via Wikimedia Commons
CC BY-SA 4.0 License
