Statute
A written law passed by Parliament. Also called an Act of Parliament. Statutes take precedence over common law.
Independent editorial summary — not the official statute text. Read the official version on legislation.gov.uk.
An Act of Parliament — also called a statute — is a law made by the UK Parliament. All Acts start as bills introduced in either the House of Commons or the House of Lords; once a bill has been agreed by both Houses and has been given Royal Assent by the Monarch, it becomes an Act.
Acts are known as 'primary legislation' because, unlike statutory instruments and other secondary legislation, they do not depend on any other legislative authority for their validity. UK Parliament's own glossary treats the words 'Act of Parliament' and 'statute' as synonyms, and lists 'primary legislation' among the related terms.
Related terms
Official sources
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