Popularly elected lower house of the bicameral British Parliament .
Because it alone has the power to levy taxes and allocate expenditures, it is Britain's chief legislative authority. It originated in the late 13th century, when landholders and other property owners began sending representatives to Parliament to present grievances and petitions to the king and to accept commitments to the payment of taxes. It was the less powerful house until 1911, when the Reform Bill of that year gave it the power to override the prime minister chooses the cabinet from the party's members. In the early 21st century there were 659 members, elected from single-member districts. See also Canadian Parliament ; parliamentary democracy .