The Constitution Society
Working to promote informed debate about constitutional reform
The Constitution Society is an independent educational foundation which works to promote public understanding of the UK constitution. We monitor constitutional developments and proposals for change, and assess them against core constitutional principles.
Latest blog posts
Can the Prime Minister Really Reform the Whips?
Having never been hunting, I’m not sure whether I’m meant to like the ‘whips’ or not. In his Memoirs of a Fox Hunting Man, Siegfried Sassoon writes of them fondly enough, though: Soon afterwards the second whip rode through the undergrowth encumbered with spades, and they took their coats off in the dappling sunshine for a… [Read More…]about Can the Prime Minister Really Reform the Whips?
Andy Burnham and a Written Constitution: Is the Time Arriving?
In his 1952 book, In Place of Fear, the Labour politician Aneurin Bevan described how as a ‘young miner in a South Wales colliery, my concern was with the one practical question: Where does power lie in this particular state of Great Britain, and how can it be attained by the workers?’ The quest for the… [Read More…]about Andy Burnham and a Written Constitution: Is the Time Arriving?
Can Andy Burnham Really Rewire the UK State?
Less than two-weeks into the new Andy Burnham premiership the Cabinet Office issued a document ambitiously called “Rewiring the State”. Most people who know anything about it would agree the British state is in severe need of rewiring. Like the ancient variety found in the Palace of Westminster, the wires of the British state are… [Read More…]about Can Andy Burnham Really Rewire the UK State?
What Now For Human Rights Under the Windsor Framework?
The Windsor Framework was adopted in 2023 in the wake of Brexit to regulate affairs in Northern Ireland. Until recently, it had been unclear what freestanding EU rights were conferred on individuals through the Framework. A recent judgment of the Supreme Court has shed new light on what rights are available to, and enforceable for,… [Read More…]about What Now For Human Rights Under the Windsor Framework?
What is the role of the Lords Spiritual? An interview with the Bishop of Manchester
Whereas Bishops … ought not to be intangled with secular jurisdiction the Office of the Ministerie being of such great importance that it will take up the whole man And for that it is found by long experience that theire intermedling with secular jurisdictions hath occasioned great mischeifs and scandall both to church and state His Majestie… [Read More…]about What is the role of the Lords Spiritual? An interview with the Bishop of Manchester
Latest publications
Brexit and the UK Constitution
Brexit and the UK Constitution is a concise edited collection from the Constitution Society surveying the impact of Brexit 10 years after the UK voted to leave the European Union. Made up of three essays from experts on immigration, the economy and regulation, the book is an impartial account of the consequences of Brexit for the… [Read More…]about Brexit and the UK Constitution
Brexit and Regulation
Professor Catharine Barnard and Joël Reland survey changes in regulation in the ten years since the EU referendum in this landmark report for the Constitution Society and the Federal Trust. They argue that in practice the EU and the United Kingdom are drawing closer together as a result of ongoing dependence on the EU market, capacity… [Read More…]about Brexit and Regulation
The Constitution in Review – Volume 2 Issue 3
The United Kingdom Constitution Monitoring Group (UKCMG), established in 2020, is made up of members with practical experience and academic knowledge of the UK constitution. Its formation was driven in part by concern about declining adherence to constitutional standards and principles in the UK. Those concerns proved to be more than amply justified by events… [Read More…]about The Constitution in Review – Volume 2 Issue 3