Last week, following a historic vote in Parliament, the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (or the Assisted Dying Bill, as it has come to be known) passed its Second Reading in the House of Commons. By a majority of 55, MPs voted in favour, … [Read more...] about The Constitutional Question of the Assisted Dying Bill
The state opening of Parliament typically begins with a speech given by the Monarch, where the Government outlines its upcoming political and legislative priorities. The first speech following a general election sets the tone for the new … [Read more...] about The Government’s New Legislative Agenda
I began writing this blogpost weeks before the widespread violence and disorder which engulfed the streets of the UK in early August. My task was to review how the new public order legislation, the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 … [Read more...] about Riots, Prison and Proportion: Public Order in 2024
Introduction: During the recent state opening of parliament, the new Labour Government confirmed their intention to enact primary legislation imposing a statutory duty of candour on all public servants and authorities. Although public authorities … [Read more...] about A Duty of Candour? The Government’s new Proposals Examined
In the King’s Speech the new Labour government introduced 40 bills that will form the core of Westminster’s legislative business for the next year. In the House of Commons, the government possesses a 174-seat majority, all but guaranteeing the … [Read more...] about What is the Salisbury-Addison Convention?
Last month I wrote a blog discussing the constitutional implications of the Post Office Bill (now the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024). In that blog, I argued that primary legislation was the most appropriate and … [Read more...] about Legislative Wash-Up: The Passage of the Post Office Act 2024
In 1912, the shipyard of Harland and Wolff in East Belfast produced a ship that was state of the art, a marvel of engineering, “designed to be unsinkable”. As it traversed the iceberg-laden waters of the North Atlantic on its maiden voyage at high … [Read more...] about The Titanic Struggle over the Illegal Migration Act
The Office of the Parliamentary Counsel (OPC) is a division of government lawyers who specialise in drafting legislation and assist with its passage through the legislative process. The OPC is responsible for drafting all government bills, advising … [Read more...] about The Office of the Parliamentary Counsel: Functions, Comparisons, Criticisms
