Cabinet Manual (United Kingdom)

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The Cabinet Manual is a government document in the United Kingdom which sets out the main laws, rules and conventions affecting the conduct and operation of the Government of the United Kingdom. It was written by the Civil Service, led by Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell, and was first published by the Cabinet Office on 14 December 2010. The manual gives an overview of the UK's system of government, reflecting the importance of Parliament, Cabinet government and the democratic nature of the UK's constitutional arrangements by explaining the powers of the Executive, Sovereign, Parliament, international institutions (most notably the European Union), the Crown Dependencies, British Overseas Territories and the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The Manual was written as a guide for members of Cabinet, other ministers and civil servants in the execution of government business, but also serves to consolidate many of the previously unwritten constitutional conventions through which the British government operates.

The writing of the manual was originally initiated by Gordon Brown as part of his broader plan to establish a written constitution for the UK.^[1] However, in 2011 the House of Lords Constitution Committee stated that the document was "not the first step to a written constitution" as it only describes the existing rules and does not "set existing practice in stone".^[2] The manual does not need to be formally approved by Parliament and can be modified at any time by the Cabinet Secretary.^[3]