How is the Prime Minister of the UK chosen?
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is the leader of the party that can command a majority in the House of Commons. The monarch formally appoints the Prime Minister, usually after a general election.
Voters do not elect the Prime Minister directly. They elect Members of Parliament in their local constituency.
After a general election, the monarch invites the leader of the party with the most seats, or the one most likely to command a majority, to form a government.
Changes between elections
If a Prime Minister resigns or loses their party leadership, their party chooses a new leader, who becomes Prime Minister without a general election.
This happened several times in recent years. For example, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak all became Prime Minister through party leadership contests.
The Prime Minister leads the government, chooses Cabinet ministers and lives at 10 Downing Street.
Robert Walpole is generally regarded as the first Prime Minister, serving from 1721 to 1742.
If no party wins a majority, the result is called a hung parliament, and parties may form a coalition or minority government, as happened in 2010 when the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats formed a coalition.