The House of Commons is the UK’s lower, elected chamber of Parliament. There are 650 Members of Parliament representing the interests and concerns of their constituents in the House of Commons. The majority party in the House of Commons forms the government. MPs propose and consider new laws. They scrutinise government policies by asking ministers questions about issues of importance, both in the Commons Chamber and in Committees. Committees of the House examine issues of importance to the country and produce reports on them. Their role is to shadow and scrutinise the work of government departments. Parliament has its origins in the Councils summoned by English kings from the eleventh century onwards to advise them and sometimes make financial grants. These Councils consisted of royal ministers, earls, barons and other powerful laymen, as well as archbishops of Canterbury and York and bishops. The term ‘parliament’ was sometimes used for these councils by the early 13th century. The century also saw representatives from counties, cities and boroughs attending parliament. Parliament met with increasing frequency in the 14th century, driven especially by the need to finance wars. Over time, the membership of parliament became increasingly standardised, so that each county and city was represented equally. There were several routes by which towns might begin to send representatives. The union of the Scottish and English parliaments in 1707, and the union with the Irish parliament in 1800, expanded the scope and membership of the House of Commons. Parliamentary reform acts in the 19th century brought about further expansion. In 1920-1922 the formation of the Republic of Ireland had the effect of reducing the number of MPs, until further changes were introduced. As of 2021, there are 650 MPs elected to the House of Commons.