I want to
Books and reading
Book lists and awards
24/7 Library
Subject resources
More from your library
Government & politics
Also on this page: Your representatives | UK national government | Devolved legislative authorities | European Union | Worldwide government | Politics
Key links
-
UK official publications at Westminster Reference Library - Public access to many government documents, current and historical.
-
Gov.uk - Central point for all Government information.
-
Civil Service Yearbook [IHS] - A directory of Parliamentary offices, departments and non-departmental public bodies. Available only in Westminster Reference Library.
-
Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources - Large and regularly updated gateway. The British Politics page provides links to everything on the UK General Election 2015, the EU Referendum 2016 and Party Election Manifestos back to 1945.
Your representatives
-
Write to Them - Type in your postcode to find the names of your local councillors, MP, MEPs and London Assembly members, then contact them directly using this site. If you need further details, other sites in this section may be more helpful; the Parliament site has useful pages such as "find your MP".
-
They Work for You - Get current information on your MP including their voting record, expenses claims, and other performance data.
UK national government
-
UK Parliament - Information about the United Kingdom Parliament, the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Including Hansard from 1988 onwards, current bills and any Lords judicial work. Also see Parliament on TV which includes both archive footage (up to 12 months) and a live feed.
-
10 Downing Street - The Prime Minister's Office web site.
-
UK Government agencies & NDPBs - list from gov.uk
-
Press releases - Searchable by date, topic, department etc.
Tools for finding UK Government Publications:
-
Official documents : Contains full text of all Commons papers and command papers from May 2005+.
-
Parliament.uk : Contains House of Commons and House of Lords publications (including Hansard)
-
Hansard 1803 to 2005 : this is a fully searchable archive of the debates conducted in the Houses of Parliament going back over 200 years.
-
Legislation.gov.uk: Full text of original legislation including Acts from 1988+ and Statutory Instruments from 1987+.
-
Statute Law Database : Contains up-to-date amended legislation for the UK.
-
The Stationery Office : Publisher for most UK official publications.
Devolved legislative authorities
European Union
-
European Documentation Centre at the British Library - The British Library has a wealth of documentation about the European Union and its member states. As a European Documentation Centre (EDC) the Library holds a comprehensive collection of official publications from the EU.
-
Europarl - Lists UK MEPs by region, with links to other information about the European Parliament.
-
European Commission in the UK - News, information, lists of centres for public information and documentation, as well as listings for related cultural events.
-
Europa - Main official European Union website.
-
EU Contracts and Grants - For information on EU funding policy and programmes.
-
EU Bookshop - Online access to a range of EU publications, some of which can be ordered free of charge.
Worldwide government
-
CIA World Factbook - Country profiles, maps, & flags.
-
Foreign embassies in the UK - The Foreign Office also has a list of UK embassies overseas.
Politics
-
PoliticsHome - UK political news aggregator.
-
British Prime Ministers 1721 - 2010 - Profiles of historical British Prime Ministers from Robert Walpole to Gordon Brown on the Number 10 website.
-
e-Petitions - Find and sign a petition on an issue important to you, or create your own.
Useful links - other categories:
Quick reference
Advice & help | Art & design | Beliefs & customs | Biography | Books & literature | Business & economics | Computers & the Internet | Education | Environment & geography | Family & personal | Family history | Government (local) | Health & medicine | History | Home & garden | Job search | Languages | Law | Libraries | London | Music | Newspapers & magazines | Science & technology | Society & citizenship | Sport & recreation | Stage & screen | Statistics & figures | Transport & tourism