On 13 June 2023 the highly anticipated Covid-19 public inquiry was opened. The inquiry is chaired by Baroness Hallett, a former Court of Appeal judge and current cross-party Peer. It has been established to assess ‘the UK’s response to and impact of … [Read more...] about Covid-19 and the Inquiries Act 2005
What to say about the UK's whipping system, apart from the fact that one of Boris Johnson's former aides has just made it the subject of what the Guardian describes as a 'Jilly Cooper-esque satire'? My research for the Constitution … [Read more...] about Cracking the whip: the UK’s party control system
The four constituent nations of the United Kingdom exist within a unitary state which is not underpinned by the transparent checks and balances of a formal written constitution. Many are appalled when they realise that the UK’s uncodified … [Read more...] about Renewing Intergovernmental Relations: The Case for Reform
In 1647 the Putney Debates brought people together to discuss the future of democracy following the victory of the Parliamentarians in the English Civil War. On 24th March 2023, The Constitution Society brought together academics and constitutional … [Read more...] about Conference review – A crisis in UK democracy?
In a recent working paper, the Hansard Society has laid out its preliminary proposals for an overhaul of the parliamentary Statutory Instrument (SI) procedure. The proposals would see all SIs laid in draft and sifted by a Parliamentary … [Read more...] about What could proposals to reform SI procedure in Parliament mean for the courts?
Amidst the waves of criticism of Israel’s proposed reforms to the judicial system, British constitutional scholars have had to deal with a slight sense of embarrassment. The proposals by the government of Binyamin Netanyahu have, at their … [Read more...] about A fair comparison? Israel’s reforms and the UK
When I was commissioned by The Constitution Society in July 2022 to write a report on the UK Government’s proposed ‘Modern’ Bill of Rights Bill, I would not have anticipated that by January 2023 the Bill would have been shelved under a new Prime … [Read more...] about Post-Brexit Britain needs an ambitious Bill of Rights rooted in integrity and purpose
With the Conservatives in political difficulty, Labour doing well in the polls, but a hung parliament possible in autumn 2024, policies emerging from the opposition will be heavily scrutinized. In December 2022, Labour’s Commission on the UK’s … [Read more...] about Can Labour do constitutional reform again?
At a time when people are struggling to pay their bills, feed their families and are striking over pay settlements, you’ve produced a 155-page report talking about devolution, constitutional reform and abolishing the House of Lords. This might look … [Read more...] about A new Britain in review
The Moment of Brexit There are two interpretations of what followed the 2016 Brexit referendum. One (the predominant view) is that Theresa May, and especially Boris Johnson, got it all wrong: they should have called a second … [Read more...] about Why the United Kingdom needs a written constitution
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
This summer the Prime Minister has received a good deal of criticism for his many holidays. In a recent interview with the BBC, Keir Starmer was forced to defend his decision to take a short holiday with his family. The Labour Party … [Read more...] about The summer recess
