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, … [Read more...] about Andy Burnham and a Written Constitution: Is the Time Arriving?
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 … [Read more...] about Can Andy Burnham Really Rewire the UK State?
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 … [Read more...] about What is the role of the Lords Spiritual? An interview with the Bishop of Manchester
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
The Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill was published by the Scottish Government in April 2023. The Bill has now been approved by the Scottish Parliament. Among other things, it introduces a number of significant changes to the … [Read more...] about The Abolition of ‘Not Proven’ in Scots Law
The notion that it’s for the people of Scotland to decide their future is relatively uncontroversial. It has been the organising principle around which Scottish politics has revolved for decades. Yet how self-determination is practiced has become a … [Read more...] about Whose Right to Decide? Scotland and Independence
In the dark recesses of the origins of constitutional law in the United Kingdom is the principle that the Monarch is the fount of all justice in the realm. Less often remarked upon, at least in constitutional circles, is the link of the … [Read more...] about Time for Change? Keeping Clerics in the House of Lords
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?
For much of the twentieth century, it was Labour – or at least its leadership – that were the constitutional conservatives. The Labour prime minister, Clement Attlee, argued the Party was “resolved to preserve the essential fabric of the British … [Read more...] about The Three Constitutional Questions for Voters This Election
Introduction My name is Keegan Clay Shepard and I am a Research Fellow at the Constitution Society where I am exploring the concept of democratic accountability within the NHS. In this blog I discuss the open consultation aimed at influencing … [Read more...] about Strengthening Democratic Accountability in the NHS: Opportunities in Constitutional Reform
The principle of collective responsibility exists in tension with transparent government. The former tends towards preserving the confidentiality of Cabinet decisions and the latter requires governmental action to be open to examination, scrutiny and … [Read more...] about What Happens When Transparent Government Conflicts With Collective Responsibility?
On May 2nd voters in England will elect 50 ‘presidents’. They are not actually called presidents, but they have many of the features of a presidential form of government. So who are these ‘presidents’ and how did the UK, or more specifically … [Read more...] about England’s 50 Presidents: Your Vote on May 2nd
