On 29 January, a vacancy appeared on the government’s public appointments website which stood out from the list of otherwise rather unremarkable job adverts. The Judicial Appointments Commission is seeking a new chair. The next day, the JAC’s own … [Read more...] about Who Appoints Our Judges? Inside the Judicial Appointments Commission
The House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC) hasn’t often featured in the news in its 23-year history. To be sure, there have been on-going controversies over appointments to the Lords, but recently there have been a series of controversies in … [Read more...] about House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC) – Chronicle of a Death Foretold?
The New Year Honours list provides us with just one example of the various and wide-ranging forms of patronage at the disposal of the UK government. This post explores the potential for its abuse. According to its critics, the current government … [Read more...] about Cronyism, Covid and the constitution
The role of ministers in the making (and unmaking) of appointments to senior public offices has attracted increased attention lately. Speculation has focused on institutions such as the Civil Service, the BBC, Ofcom, and the Electoral Commission. The … [Read more...] about Protecting integrity in public appointments
