The Constitution Society is delighted to announce our new cohort of contributing writers for 2025. We look forward to bringing you a range of work on aspects and developments in the UK constitution across the coming year. You can ensure you never miss a blog by having them delivered straight to your email address via the sign up form at the bottom of this page.
The Constitution Society 2025 contributing writers are:
Dr Stuart Wallace
Stuart is an Associate Professor at the University of Leeds where he teaches constitutional law and international human rights law. Prior to joining the faculty in Leeds, he worked as a Lecturer and Director of Studies at Homerton College, Cambridge and as an Affiliated Lecturer in the Faculty of Law at the University of Cambridge lecturing on civil liberties and human rights. Dr Wallace has also held posts at the European Court of Human Rights and the International Criminal Court prior to entering academia.
Professor Colin Talbot
Colin is Emeritus Professor of Government, University of Manchester. He also has relationships with the Cambridge Judge Business School and the Federal Trust. Colin has worked extensively with all levels of British government and public services, including being an advisor to two House of Commons Select Committees and appearing as an expert witness over two dozen times in both Houses of Parliament, the Scottish Parliament, and the Welsh Assembly. He has also advised more than a dozen other governments, from the USA to Japan.
Cassandra Somers-Joce
Cassandra is a Non-Stipendiary Lecturer at Balliol College, Oxford University, and a Visiting Lecturer in Public Law at King’s College London. She has previously held research roles at the University of York and Durham University. Cassandra has published on the public record, Cabinet Office private communications policy, and disclosure duties.
Anna Richards
Anna completed her MPhil in History at the University of Oxford, before securing a Distinction on the Graduate Diploma in Law. She has worked at the Ministry of Defence and House of Commons, and as a Judicial Assistant at the High Court. She writes for the Spectator, the Critic, and UnHerd, and is currently researching ECHR reform as part of a Pamela Thomas Research Award with the Society of Conservative Lawyers.
Declan McLean
Declan is a PhD student at Cardiff University. His research focuses on the future of the UK’s territorial constitution. His interests include intergovernmental relations, parliamentary sovereignty and constitutional change more broadly. Declan graduated from the University of Strathclyde with a first-class LLB before completing his LLM at Cardiff University, graduating with distinction. He has worked in the Scottish and UK Parliaments and as a Researcher at the University of Glasgow’s Law School.
Peter Heaton-Jones
Peter served as an MP for two terms from 2015, standing down in 2019. He was parliamentary private secretary to the lord chancellor and the secretary of state at the Department for Work & Pensions. He has international experience, including as policy adviser in the Parliament of NSW, Australia, and marketing executive at the ABC. Peter graduated with a BA in Sociology from London University followed by a post-graduate qualification in journalism, after which he had a 20-year career as a broadcaster, editor and media adviser in the public and private sectors.
Tasneem Ghazi
Tasneem is a PhD student at the UCL Faculty of Laws. Tasneem previously completed the Barrister Training Course while working part-time as a research assistant at the Constitution Unit. In 2021, she interned at the Institute for Government and at the UK in a Changing Europe. Tasneem holds an MA in History from King’s College London, and an LLB in Politics, Philosophy and Law.
Kate Dewsnip
Kate is a Graduate Teaching Fellow and PhD candidate at the University of Liverpool School of Law and Social Justice. Her research focuses on emergency legislation, specifically the legislative scrutiny of emergency laws. She obtained her LLB from the University of Liverpool in 2017 and her LLM from the University of Cambridge in 2018. Kate is a non-practising barrister, having been called to the Bar by the Honourable Society of Inner Temple in 2019. Prior to beginning her PhD she worked in legal practice for two years.
Oliver Bramley
Oliver graduated from Cambridge in 2023, and now works in the House of Lords. He formerly worked as a Senior Communications Adviser in the House of Commons. He has been published in several academic journals on elements of modern history and macroeconomics.
Dr Mark Bennister
Mark is an experienced academic researching comparative political leadership, prime ministerial power, governance, public policy, and accountability in parliament. He is a Visiting Reader at Queen Mary, University of London, an Affiliate Research Fellow at the Bennett Institute for Public Policy, University of Cambridge, and Honorary Senior Fellow, University of Lincoln.
We welcome our new contributing writers to the Society and look forward to bringing you their work.