Member of Parliament or MP. Someone elected by the people in a particular constituency to represent them in the House of Commons.
Lord - a member of the House of Lords. They are appointed rather than being elected by the people. Some judges and some Church of England Bishops are also members of the House of Lords.
The Queen - the Head of State for the UK. She has a ceremonial role in Parliament but does not make any important decisions about what new laws are agreed.
The Speaker - a special Member of Parliament. He manages the discussions in Parliament and makes sure the MP’s behave themselves.
Minister - an MP or Lord who also has a special job in Goverment, making important decisions about how the country is run.
Prime Minister - the leader of the country. This is usually the person in charge of the Party with the most MPs in the House of Commons. The current Prime Minister is David Cameron from the Conservative Party.
Hon or Honourable - a title used by MPs to refer to each other. Instead of saying someone’s name when in the House of Commons, an MP is referred to as “the Honourable Member for …” then the name of their constituency.
Rt Hon or Right Honourable - a special title for some MPs who have become an important Minister in the Government
Clerk - people who work at the House of Commons or House of Lords. They organise everything, to help MPs and Lords to make new laws.
Chamber - the name for the special rooms used by MPs and Lords, when they are discussing new laws. The chamber for MPs is often called the House of Commons and the chamber for Lords is often called the House of Lords.
Palace of Westminster - the building by the River Thames where Parliament is based. It has two towers, the Victoria Tower and the Clock Tower, which is usually called Big Ben.
Constituency - [con-stit-you-en-see], the place where a local MP comes from. Each MP represents the people from a constituency, in Parliament.
Government
Parliament - the name given to the House of Commons and the House of Lords, who together make new laws for the country.
House of Commons
House of Lords
European Union - a group of countries who have agreed to work very closely together, to agree shared laws.
Franchise - a word meaning who has the right to vote at elections. All British people who are 18 years old or more can vote, except for people in prison.
General Election - a special election, held once every four or five years, when people can choose who they want to be their local MP
Legislature - a special name for a group of people, usually elected, who together can make new laws
Legislation - the written laws that Parliament has made. You can find them on www.legislation.gov.uk
Bill - a possible new law for discussion by MPs and Lords. Most Bills are written by lawyers who work for the Government. Some Bills are proposed by individual MPs. These are called Private Members Bills.
Act - short for an Act of Parliament. This is a new law once it has been agreed by Parliament.
Clause - a special name for a paragraph in a Bill.
Section - a special name for a paragraph in an Act.
Amendment - a proposal to change the wording of a Clause in a Bill.
Debate - a discussion in Parliament about whether a proposed law is a good or a bad idea.
Reading - a special word used to describe a stage in the process of agreeing a new law.
Ping pong - This is not the bat and ball game! It is the term used to describe the very final stage before a Bill becomes an Act, resolving any last differences of opinion between the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
Party - a group of people who share the similar opinions. The aim of a Party is to win elections by getting lots of their members elected as MPs.
Conservative Party - the biggest Party in Parliament, with most MPs. The Conservative Party is currently in Government, which means they are making most of the important decisions for the country. David Cameron, the Prime Minister, leads the Conservative Party.
Labour Party - the second biggest Party in Parliament, currently the opposition. MPs and Lords from the Labour Party try to stop Bills proposed by the Government from becoming law.
Liberal Democrats - the third largest Party. Since the last general election in 2010, MPs and Lords from the Liberal Democrats have been working with people from the Conservative Party, as part of the Coalition Goverment.
Scottish Nationalist Party - a Party that wants Scotland to be an independent country.
Green Party - a Party that wants more policies that protect the environment.
United Kingdom Independence Party - a Party that wants the UK to leave the European Union.