We can divide departures of prime ministers into two broad categories. The first type comes after a General Election, when a party (or group of parties) other than that of the outgoing premier becomes able to command the confidence of the House of … [Read more...] about Removing a Prime Minister
Is there a constitutional requirement for Boris Johnson to resign as Prime Minister? As is often the case with such questions, arriving at an answer is a complex task. The basic principles involved are set out in the Ministerial Code. Paragraph 1.3 c … [Read more...] about A constitutional requirement to resign?
Amidst the clamour of the Commons following the publication of Sue Gray’s interim report into ‘partygate’, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that he would be creating an ‘Office of the Prime Minister’ to deal with “fragmented and complicated” … [Read more...] about A Prime Minister’s department: redefining the centre of British government?
Constitutional conventions are tricky creatures. Famously described by AV Dicey (1885) as “the morality of the constitution”, conventions establish non-legal rules of political conduct. They derive, in Ivor Jennings’ (1959) and Geoffrey Marshall’s … [Read more...] about How (not) to kill a constitutional convention: Theresa May’s intervention in Syria, April 2018
The Priti Patel affair highlights some general peculiarities of the UK constitution. At the centre of this episode lies a document, the Ministerial Code. This text, which formed the basis of the investigation into the Home Secretary, is regarded as … [Read more...] about De-coding the constitution?
Dominic Cummings’ departure from No. 10 has been widely been framed as a ‘reset’ moment for the government. But will it reset the government’s approach to the constitution? It seems that Downing Street is keen, at least on some level, to encourage … [Read more...] about Cummings and the constitution: continuity or change?
With hindsight, the manner of Dominic Cummings’ departure from No.10 was predictable. Intense public controversy has surrounded much of his career, including his tenure as the most senior special adviser to Boris Johnson after the latter became Prime … [Read more...] about Exit Cummings: the historical perspective
A change of regime in Washington is always likely to produce international repositioning. The sharp shift in tone and content now anticipated has already made an impact in the United Kingdom (UK), as elsewhere. After the result of the United States … [Read more...] about Boris Johnson and Donald Trump: constitutional common ground?
The House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC) has provided much inspiration for this blog lately. It continues to do so with its inquiry, currently open, into ‘[t]he role and status of the Prime Minister’s … [Read more...] about The Prime Minister’s Office: opacity with a purpose
Recent controversies surrounding Dominic Cummings, the most senior aide to the Prime Minister, have once again drawn attention to the constitutional role played by special advisers. Vernon Bogdanor, professor at King's College London, has been … [Read more...] about Special advisers: in conversation with Vernon Bogdanor
