Professor Andrew Blick is joined by Aileen McHarg, Professor of Public Law and Human Rights at Durham Law School and member of the UK Constitution Monitoring Group (UKCMG). In a wide-ranging conversation, they discuss many of themes and findings … [Read more...] about In conversation with Aileen McHarg
Over the last few months, there has been much ink spilled over the Elections Bill, which is currently at the Committee Stage in the House of Commons. A number of the provisions contained in the bill are, however, relatively uncontroversial. Measures … [Read more...] about Eroding the independence of the Electoral Commission: the introduction of a government Strategy and Policy Statement
Following weeks of speculation, the Prime Minister carried out a reshuffle of his cabinet ministers last month – the second major reshuffle of the Johnson premiership and his first since February 2020. Lots has been written already about what this … [Read more...] about What does the reshuffle mean for constitutional reform?
Introduction Much like Brexit itself, the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement’s Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland remains an on-going point of contention. It has left an indelible mark on politics both within Northern Ireland and in Westminster, and … [Read more...] about The politics of the Northern Ireland Protocol
It has often been assumed that sub-state nationalisms, whether in Scotland, Wales, Quebec, Catalonia or the Basque Country, must be motivated by distinct values or attitudes about the great issues of public policy. Indeed, there is a whole school of … [Read more...] about Will ‘British values’ keep us together?
Introduction In the process of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union – Brexit – Northern Ireland has played a starring role. Although largely overlooked in the early stages of the process, the ‘unique circumstances’ and … [Read more...] about Northern Ireland: a constitutional exception and why it matters
With Parliament returning this week, the government will continue legislating on a range of constitutional issues, including the calling of UK general elections, political protest, and voter identification. Although its programme of constitutional … [Read more...] about The government’s approach to the UK constitution: cause for concern
In July, the government published its long-awaited Elections Bill which makes changes to the administration and conduct of elections with the stated aim of ensuring that ‘UK elections remain secure, fair, modern, inclusive and … [Read more...] about What is the Elections Bill? And why is it an issue?
Early in July, buried amidst the many reactions to the government’s Elections Bill, the Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL) published its report on regulating election finance, following a year-long inquiry to which the Electoral Reform … [Read more...] about How can we better regulate our elections?
I recently published with Oxford University Press UK Politics, a textbook aimed at undergraduates. When I began work on it in mid-2017, an important motivation was the sense that there was a need for a title that reflected many changes that were … [Read more...] about The ever-changing constitution
From nineteenth-century Irish home rule debates onwards there has been one consensus: the Union could not survive if England were allowed its own political identity or institutions of government. Winston Churchill said in 1912 that it would ‘tear the … [Read more...] about England and the Union: time to think again
The doctrine that the UK Parliament is sovereign and cannot bind its successors is at the heart of the UK constitution. It means that the government of the day can replace, amend or repeal with relative ease any constitutional legislation passed by … [Read more...] about So long, EVEL and the FTPA: one step forward, one step back?
