inister Tony BLAIR (since 2 May 1997)
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the prime minister
elections: none; the queen is a hereditary monarch; prime minister is
the leader of the majority party in the House of Commons and must have
the consent of the monarch

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of House of Lords
(1,200 seats; four-fifths of the members are hereditary peers, two
archbishops, 24 other senior bishops, serving and retired Lords of
Appeal in Ordinary, other life peers, Scottish peers) and House of
Commons (659 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms)
elections: House of Lords - no elections; House of Commons - last held
1 May 1997 (next to be held by NA May 2002)
election results: House of Commons - percent of vote by party - Labor
44.5%, Conservative 31%, Liberal Democratic 17%, other 7.5%; seats by
party - Labor 418, Conservative 165, Liberal Democratic 46, other 30

Judicial branch: House of Lords, several Lords of Appeal in Ordinary
are appointed by the monarch for life

Political parties and leaders: Conservative and Unionist Party [John
MAJOR]; Labor Party [Anthony (Tony) Blair]; Liberal Democrats or LD
[Jeremy (Paddy) ASHDOWN]; Scottish National Party [Alex SALMOND];
Welsh National Party (Plaid Cymru) [Dafydd Iwan WIGLEY]; Ulster
Unionist Party (Northern Ireland) [David TRIMBLE]; Democratic Unionist
Party (Northern Ireland) [Rev. Ian PAISLEY]; Social Democratic and
Labor Party or SDLP (Northern Ireland) [John HUME]; Sinn Fein
(Northern Ireland) [Gerry ADAMS]; Alliance Party (Northern Ireland)
[Lord ALDERDICE]

Political pressure groups and leaders: Trades Union Congress;
Confederation of British Industry; National Farmers' Union; Campaign
for Nuclear Disarmament

International organization participation: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB,
Australia Group, BIS, C, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CERN, EBRD, ECA
(associate), ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, ESCAP, EU, FAO, G- 5, G- 7, G-10,
IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer),
ISO, ITU, MTCR, NACC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UN Security
Council, UNAVEM III, UNCTAD, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNOMIG,
UNRWA, UNTAES, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Sir John Olav KERR (will return to London
in late 1997)
chancery: 3100 Massa