Parliament: the Commons, the Lords and the Crown

Parliament is where the UK's laws are made and the government is held to account. It meets in the Palace of Westminster in London.

Key Stage 3
About 17 minutes

Practise this lesson free (6 questions)

Three parts

The UK Parliament has three parts:
the House of Commons, the House of Lords, and the Crown (the monarch).
Normally all three must agree for a bill to become law. In rare cases, the Parliament Acts let the Commons pass a bill without the Lords' agreement.

The House of Commons

The Commons has 650 Members of Parliament (MPs), each elected by voters in one area called a constituency.
MPs represent their constituents, debate, make laws, and scrutinise (check) the government. They can question the Prime Minister at Prime Minister's Questions.
Debates are chaired by the Speaker, who must be politically neutral.
The Commons is the more powerful House because it is elected.

The House of Lords

Members of the Lords are not elected. Most are life peers, appointed for their experience in areas such as law, science, business or public service. There are also 26 Church of England bishops.
The Lords revises bills, suggesting changes, and checks the government.
Under the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949, the Lords can delay most bills but cannot block them for ever.

	House of Commons	House of Lords
Members	650 elected MPs	Appointed peers and bishops
Main role	Makes laws, forms and checks the government	Revises laws and checks the government
Power	Has the final say	Can delay most bills

Worked example

Why does the House of Commons have more power than the House of Lords?

MPs in the Commons are elected by voters.
Members of the Lords are appointed, not elected.
In a democracy, elected representatives should have the final say, which is why the Parliament Acts limit the Lords to delaying most bills.

Answer: Because the Commons is elected by the people, while the Lords is not.

Key idea

Parliament is made up of the House of Commons (650 elected MPs), the House of Lords (appointed members) and the Crown. The Commons has the final say; the Lords revises and can delay most bills.

Key words

650: The number of MPs, one for each constituency.
Bill: A proposal for a new law that is being considered by Parliament.
Constituency: The area that an MP represents. There are 650 in the UK.
Prime Minister: The head of the UK government, usually the leader of the party that can command the confidence of the House of Commons.
Speaker: The MP who chairs debates in the House of Commons and must be politically neutral.

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Common mistakes

Not “They are elected by voters”. Only the Commons is elected.

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Extra practice

2 more questions

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How many Members of Parliament sit in the House of Commons?
Show the answer
Answer: 650
There are 650 MPs, one for each constituency.
For a bill to become an Act, which three parts of Parliament must agree?
1. The Prime Minister, the Speaker and the Supreme Court
2. The House of Commons, the Cabinet and the police
3. England, Scotland and Wales
4. The House of Commons, the House of Lords and the monarch
Show the answer
Answer: The House of Commons, the House of Lords and the monarch
Parliament is the Commons, the Lords and the Crown; all three must agree.

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Sources and references

Checked by the GCSE-ready editorial team, 16 October 2026. Last updated 2 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we will fix it.