The law in Britain is made in a variety of ways. Many of
the rules by which we live our lives come from the
Common Law, which has evolved over centuries from
judgements in court. More recently, we have added laws
that come from the European Parliament in Brussels.
But the vast majority of new laws come about as the
result of an Act of Parliament.
Of these, almost all are based on bills sponsored by the
Government, and announced in the Queen's Speech. Each bill
has to pass through a defined series of stages before it becomes law -
and consequently much of the day-to-day business of the House is taken up with debates and detailed work on these Bills. Bills can start in either House - a proportion will begin in the House of Lords.
