Constitutional Change

In 1689, the Bill of Rights was established. It confirmed that the monarch:

• Needs Parliament’s permission to increase taxes or exercise justice.
• Must have advisers or ministers who are endorsed by both the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

The two main political groups in Parliament were the Whigs and the Tories. Today’s Conservative Party is still informally called ‘the Tories’. This period saw the beginnings of the party system in the UK.