British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the seventh UK Prime Minister in a decade, resigned highlighting key features of the British parliamentary system, with useful comparisons to India's parliamentary democracy.
Similarities between India and the UK System
Basis | Similarity |
| Form of Government | Both follow the Westminster model of parliamentary democracy, where the executive is drawn from the legislature. |
| Executive Structure | Both have a nominal Head of State (Monarch/President) and a real executive headed by the Prime Minister. |
| Bicameral Legislature | Both have a two-house Parliament. |
| Collective Responsibility | The Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the lower house and must retain its confidence. |
Differences between India and the UK System
Basis | United Kingdom | India |
| Constitutional Principle | Based on Parliamentary Sovereignty, where Parliament is the supreme law-making authority. | Based on Constitutional Supremacy, where Parliament functions within constitutional limits. |
| Nature of Constitution | Unwritten, based on conventions, statutes, and judicial decisions. | Written Constitution that is the supreme law of the land. |
| Prime Minister | Traditionally a member of the House of Commons. | PM or Minister can continue for six months without being a Member of Parliament. |
| Anti-Defection Law | No anti-defection legislation. | Anti-Defection Law regulates party defections. |
| Judicial Review | Courts cannot invalidate Acts of Parliament on constitutional grounds. | Judiciary can strike down unconstitutional laws through judicial review. |
