Which milestones have most significantly defined the UK’s constitutional journey? The Constitution Society Schools Competition 2026 gives young people aged 14-19 the chance to get creative while finding out more about the UK constitution. So … [Read more...] about Enter Now: The Constitution Society Schools Competition 2026
Across the world, democracies face an increasing threat. Foreign interference, disinformation, AI, cyber attacks, the intimidation of politicians and threats to electoral integrity are causes of increasing concern. In the UK, a key response to these … [Read more...] about What is the UK’s Defending Democracy Taskforce?
Last week, as part of a series of events and publications linked to the tenth anniversary of the EU referendum, the Constitution Society, together with the Irish Consulate and the Scottish Council on Global Affairs, welcomed guests to the French … [Read more...] about Edinburgh Panel Event: Brexit at 10
David Butler wrote in 1997 in his introduction to the definitive guide to the by-election: They may offer some guide to the public mood; but who now would dare to give a figure for the likely difference between a by-election … [Read more...] about The High-Stakes and Rather Unusual Makerfield By-Election
Ouster clauses are provisions in legislation that seek to prevent judicial review of the exercise of public power. Since they insulate government action from being reviewed by the courts, ouster clauses reveal the tension between the principles of … [Read more...] about Ouster Clauses: Is There a Way Forward?
Devolution was always described as a process and not an event. Well, the devolution journey has moved on to a new phase with the May elections in Scotland and Wales, with the result that three nationalist parties now hold power outside England. The … [Read more...] about What do the May Election Results Mean for Devolution?
Something seismic has happened in Wales. A century of Labour hegemony has ended, and Senedd expansion represents a constitutional coming-of-age for a legislature entering its seventh session. 300 miles north, the Scottish Parliament, by contrast, … [Read more...] about It’s Time to get Serious About Scottish Parliament Reform
When the Labour government came to power and needed to deliver on its manifesto promise to ‘deepen our democracy by reforming Parliament’, it reached for a familiar tool. On 25 July 2024, MPs voted to establish the new, improved House of Commons … [Read more...] about Parliamentary Modernisation: The Long and Winding Road
Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights guarantees the right to family and private life. It has become a political flashpoint because it frequently centres in headline-grabbing immigration decisions. In reality, its role is to enable … [Read more...] about Changing Article 8 of the ECHR: What is Really Possible?
When a government implements a manifesto pledge through legislation, the legal position is straightforward: the result is an Act of Parliament like any other. The harder question is whether its electoral pedigree should matter. Does the fact that a … [Read more...] about What is the Constitutional Status of Manifesto Commitments?
On 7 May 2026, the people of Wales will go to the polls to elect the seventh Senedd. Three factors make this a landmark election in the history of devolution in Wales: Senedd reform, forecasted changes to the membership of the Senedd, and a new party … [Read more...] about The Senedd Election: Are Big Changes on the Horizon?
The question of whether to legalise assisted dying has been a recurring legal issue in the UK for decades. From the House of Lords case of R. (Pretty) v DPP in 2001 where Dianne Pretty unsuccessfully claimed that s.2 of the Suicide Act … [Read more...] about The Farcical Failure of the Assisted Dying Bill
