Prime Minister of the United Kingdom century as a convention of the constitution, the position of Leader of the Opposition was given statutory recognition in 1937 by the Ministers of the Crown Act. British Prime Ministers have never been elected directly by the public. A Prime Minister need not be a party leader; David Lloyd George was not a party leader during his service as prime Minister during World War I, and neither was Ramsay MacDonald from 1931 to 1935. Prime Ministers have taken office because they were members of either the Commons or Lords, and either inherited a majority in the Commons or won more
House of Commons of Canada other parties. A prime minister may resign even if he or she is not defeated at the polls (for example, for personal health reasons); in such a case, the premiership goes to the new leader of the outgoing prime minister's party. The House of Commons scrutinizes the ministers of the Crown through "Question Period", a daily forty-five-minute period during which members have the opportunity to ask questions of the prime minister and of other Cabinet ministers. Questions must relate to the responding minister's official government activities, not to his or her activities as a party leader or as a private