Who holds the real executive authority in England?

Real executive authority is held by the Prime Minister, though their actions and decisions are held in check for most of the time by Parliament. The House of Commons, which has 651 elected members, acts as a brake upon Prime Ministerial decisions that are considered too extreme or draconian. A PM has to have the backing of his Cabinet and most of the elected members of his Government if his actions are to enjoy the support of Parliament. If this is not the case, there will be extreme dissent within Government ranks that can result in a Confidence Vote in the PM, forcing him to stand down if he loses. Maggie Thatcher and Tony Blair both behaved like dictators during their time in office, which ultimately led to their removal by their own Party. In addition to this, the House of Commons is in turn held in check by the House of Lords, which has to approve all bills that go through the Commons and are approved there. On many occasions, controversial bills that have cleared the Commons have been blocked by the Lords, and were thus unable to become law. The Queen's role in Government is largely ceremonial- although she makes a speech at the annual Opening of Parliament, and has to approve the appointment or resignation of the PM, she cannot in practice go against Parliamentary opinion.