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How government works
In the UK, the Prime Minister leads the government with the support of the Cabinet and ministers. You can find out who runs government and how government is run, as well as learning about the history of government.
Who runs government
The Prime Minister
The Prime Minister（https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/prime-minister） is the leader of His Majesty’s Government and is ultimately responsible for all policy and decisions.
The Prime Minister also:
oversees the operation of the Civil Service and government agencies
appoints members of the government
is the principal government figure in the House of Commons
The Prime Minister is The Rt Hon Andy Burnham MP（https://www.gov.uk/government/people/andy-burnham）.
Read more about the Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street（https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/prime-ministers-office-10-downing-street）
The Cabinet
The Cabinet is made up of the senior members of government. Every week during Parliament, members of the Cabinet (Secretaries of State from all departments and some other ministers) meet to discuss the most important issues for the government.
See who is in the Cabinet（https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers）
Ministers
1 Prime Minister（https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/prime-minister）
23 Cabinet ministers（https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers#cabinet-ministers）
101 Other ministers（https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers#ministers-by-department）
125 Total ministers（https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers）
Ministers are chosen by the Prime Minister from the members of the House of Commons and House of Lords. They are responsible for the actions, successes and failures of their departments.
See full list of ministers（https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers）
How government is run
Government departments and agencies
Departments and their agencies are responsible for putting government policy into practice.
Government departments
Some departments, like the Ministry of Defence（https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence）, cover the whole UK. Others don’t – the Department for Work and Pensions（https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions） doesn't cover Northern Ireland. This is because some aspects of government are devolved to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Non-ministerial departments（https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations#non_ministerial_departments） are headed by senior civil servants and not ministers. They usually have a regulatory or inspection function like the Charity Commission.
Executive agencies
These are part of government departments and usually provide government services rather than decide policy - which is done by the department that oversees the agency.
An example is the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency（https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/driver-and-vehicle-licensing-agency） (overseen by the Department for Transport（https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-transport）).
Other public bodies
These have varying degrees of independence but are directly accountable to ministers. There are 4 types of non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs).
Executive NDPBs do work for the government in specific areas - for example, the Environment Agency.
Advisory NDPBs provide independent, expert advice to ministers - for example, the Committee on Standards in Public Life.
Tribunal NDPBs are part of the justice system and have jurisdiction over a specific area of law - for example, the Competition Appeal Tribunal.
Independent monitoring boards are responsible for the running of prisons and treatment of prisoners - for example, His Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons.
23 Ministerial departments（https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations#departments）
20 Non-ministerial departments（https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations#non_ministerial_departments）
400 + Agencies and other public bodies（https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations#agencies_and_other_public_bodies）
Civil Service
The Civil Service does the practical and administrative work of government. It is co-ordinated and managed by the Prime Minister, in their role as Minister for the Civil Service.
Around half of all civil servants provide services direct to the public, including:
paying benefits and pensions
running employment services
staffing prisons
issuing driving licences
The Civil Service（https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/civil-service） is on GOV.UK.
Work for us
Find and apply（https://civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/） for vacancies in departments, executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies.
Work with us