• The monarch is the formal head of the executive and the Prime Minister, who is also First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service, advises the monarch on the exercise of all executive powers.

• The Cabinet deals with all matters concerning the collective responsibility of the government as well as the formulation of government policy and putting it into effect via the parliamentary legislative process.

• Central government in the United Kingdom is organized into departments of state led by Secretaries of State and other ministers whose work is coordinated by the Cabinet.

• Every Secretary of State and minister, including the Prime Minister, is responsible to Parliament and subject to the jurisdiction of the courts.

• The Welsh Assembly Government, the Scottish Government, and the Northern Ireland Executive exercise devolved executive powers within the United Kingdom.

• The executive includes the police and armed forces, and Parliament, through legislation, grants executive powers to local authorities.