Which country’s parliament inspired Banksy’s 2009 painting Devolved Parliament?

The United Kingdom’s Parliament inspired Banksy’s 2009 painting Devolved Parliament.

The painting depicts the chamber of the House of Commons at the Palace of Westminster, the central legislature of the United Kingdom. Banksy replaces the human MPs with chimpanzees, turning a recognisable political scene into an allegory about partisanship, disorder and the perceived absurdity of parliamentary debate.

Although the work became especially prominent during the Brexit era, it was created before the United Kingdom left the European Union. Bristol Museum and Art Gallery displayed it in 2019 under the title Devolved Parliament, and the painting later entered the international auction market.

The country can be confused with England because the scene is in London, but the House of Commons is the elected chamber of the United Kingdom Parliament. The painting’s political subject is therefore the UK legislature rather than an English national parliament, which does not exist as a separate institution.