The party which wins most seats, although not necessarily the most votes,

at a general election, or which has the support of a majority of members in

the House of Commons, usually forms the Government. By tradition, the
leader of the majority party is asked by the overeign to form a
government. !bout "## of its members in the House of Commons and the
House of $ords receive ministerial appointments, including appointment to
the Cabinet on the advice of the %rime &inister. The largest minority party
becomes the official 'pposition, with its own leader and (shadow cabinet(.
The %arty ystem in %arliament
$eaders of the Government and 'pposition sit on the front benches on
either side of the Commons chamber with their supporters ) the
backbenchers ) sitting behind them. imilar arrangements for the parties
also apply to the House of $ords* however, $ords who do not wish to be
associated with any political party may sit on the (cross benches(.
The effectiveness of the party system in %arliament rests largely on the
relationship between the Government and the opposition parties.
+epending on the relative strengths of the parties in the House of
Commons, the 'pposition may seek to overthrow the Government by
defeating it in a vote on a (matter of confidence(. ,n general, however, its
aims are-
". to contribute to the formulation of policy and legislation by
constructive criticism*
.. to oppose the government proposals it considers
objectionable* to seek amendments to government Bills* and
/. to put forward its own policies in order to improve its
chances of winning the ne0t general election.
The 'pposition performs this role both by debating issues and putting
1uestions on the floor of both Houses and through the committee system.
Government business arragnements are settled, under the direction of the
%rime &insiter and the $eaders of the two Houses, by the Government
Chief 2hip in consultation with the 'pposition Chief 2hip. The Chief
2hips together constitute the (usual channels( ofter referred to when the
1uestion of finding time for a particular item of business is discussed. The
$eaders of the two Houses are responsible for enabling the Houses to
debate matters about which they are concerned.
'utside %arliament, party control is e0ercised by the national and local
organi3ations. %arties are organi3ed at parliamentary constituency level
and also contest local government elections. ,nside %arliament, party
control is e0ercised by the Chief 2hips and their assistants, who are
chosen within the party. Their duties include keeping members informed of
forthcoming parliamentary business, maintaining the party(s voting
strength by ensuring members attend important debates, and passing on
to the party leadership the opinions of the backbench members.
The 2hips indicate the importance their party attaches to a vote on a
particular issue by underlining items of business once, twice or three times
on the notice sent to &%s. ,n the Commons, failure to comply with a (three)
line whip(, the most important, is usually seen as a rebellion against the
party. %arty discipline tends to be less strong in the $ords than in the
Commons, since $ords have less hope of high office and no need of party
support in elections.
The formal title of the Government Chief 2hip in the Commons is
%arliamentary ecretary to the Treasury. The Government 2hips in the
$ords also act as government spokesmen.
4inancial !ssistance to %arties
!nnual assistance from public funds helps opposition parties carry out
their parliamentary work at 2estminister. it is limited to parties which had
at least two members elected at the previous general election or one
member elected and a minimum of "5#,### votes cast. The amount is
6/,77..5# for every seat won, plus 68.9: for every .## votes.