House of Commons of the United Kingdom

The House of Commons chamber

The House of Commons of the Commons is one of the two houses in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The House of Commons is the lower house, while the other house (the House of Lords) is the upper house. The House of Commons is more important and seat in the Palace of Westminster in London. Due to office space, it's accommodation extends into Portcullis House.

The House of Commons has 650 members. The Commons are chosen by elections. In the house the parties that form the government sit opposite of the opposition. The opposition consists of the non-governmental parties. The speaker, who is also one of the 650 members, sits between both groups. In contrast to the other members, the speaker is seen as neutral. He of she can't share his own opinion (but can vote) and has the task to lead the debates.

The 650 seats of the house are divided by political parties. The Conservative Party has 288 seats at the moment and forms the government itself. Since the last elections in 2017 29 members have declared themselves independent from the party or changed to another party. Originally, the party had the support and of the Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), who has 10 seats. The biggest opposition party is the Labour Party, who has 247 seats at the moment. Since the 2017 elections the party has lost 15 members. The other opposition parties are the Scottish National Party (35), Liberal Democrats (18), Sinn Féin (7), Plaid Cymru (4) and the Green Party of England and Wales (1). 31 members are independent, 3 members from the group The Independents and 5 others the group Change UK.