Kovalev Igor Georgievich – Sc.D. in History, Professor, Department of International Relations, Faculty of World Economy and World Politics, National Research University «Higher School of Economics», First Deputy Dean, Faculty of World Economy and World Politics, National Research University «Higher School of Economics» Palachanin Ivan Anatolievich – Ph.D. Student, Faculty of World Economy and World Politics, National Research University «Higher School of Economics»
The article examines the historical specifics of the democratic form of government in Great Britain, and also identifies main directions of its changes in current conditions under the influence of a wide range of external and internal factors. Much attention is paid to the active discussion in the scientific community on the development and constant transformations of democracy, the number and ratio of its various forms and types. The focus is on identifying the features of the British variety of democracy in the context of the presence of features inherent in two large groups identified by researchers – liberal and illiberal democracy. Brexit and the resulting longest and most acute political crisis in the recent history of the United Kingdom have become important factors that influenced the next change in the British version of the democratic form of government. In the United Kingdom, the tendencies characteristic for those countries that are usually classified as illiberal democracies have become more and more evident. The most obvious examples include: politicians ignoring the existing restrictions on their powers, blatant violations of existing parliamentary procedures and rules, constant attempts by the government to encroach on the prerogatives of other branches of government, the disdainful attitude of the ruling Cabinet to the requirements of local and regional self-government bodies. As a result, instead of further development of trends to strengthen democratic principles in the current UK state-political system, which were initiated at the end of the last centuryby «new Labour» during the period of the A. Blair government in power, the conservative Cabinets of T. May and B. Johnson have increasingly resorted to methods of administrative pressure, violations of generally recognized rules for the implementation of political processes.
Great Britain, Brexit, democracy, liberalism, House of Commons, House of Lords, Conservative Party, political struggle.
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