The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government was keen on constitutional reform, although not all reforms proved durable: the Fixed-term Parliaments Act is no more, voters roundly rejected the alternative vote system and local councils have … [Read more...] about The Cabinet Manual: In Dire Need of an Update
With a Commons majority of 174, the new Labour government seems unassailable. Sir Keir Starmer could theoretically enact a policy programme entirely of his choosing without fear of being stymied by the parliamentary arithmetic. A powerful … [Read more...] about Can Labour Score ‘Quick Wins’ on Constitutional Reform?
Our recent book, The Bonfire of the Decencies: Repairing and Restoring the British Constitution, analysed the turbulent 2019-2022 Boris Johnson administration from a constitutional perspective. It noted a worrying tendency. Johnson himself, and … [Read more...] about Post-Johnson, constitutional combustion continues. But the fire can be extinguished
Conservative politicians are currently busy distancing themselves from Boris Johnson. But he is more than just an unfortunate one-off episode in political history, as a consideration of his constitutional legacy demonstrates. Johnson brought his own … [Read more...] about The constitutional consequences of Mr. Johnson
Baroness Taylor of Bolton, Chair of the House of Lords Constitution Committee Documents such as the Cabinet Manual, the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Code are an important part of the United Kingdom's constitutional framework and, … [Read more...] about An updated Cabinet Manual is needed to maintain public trust, ethical standards and our constitution
