Constitutional reform

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

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

It’s fair to say that the creation of elected PCCs – that’s Police and Crime Commissioners – didn’t get off to the best of starts.  Introduced under the Coalition government, these new politicians were first elected back in 2012. Prior to polling … [Read more...] about Police and Crime Commissioners need your vote next month

A few sentences in Tom Baldwin’s new 400-page biography of Keir Starmer caused quite a stir recently. They had little to do with the life of the Labour leader, and more to do with how an incoming Labour government would find solutions to … [Read more...] about Answering tricky questions: Labour and Citizens’ Assemblies

Matthew Heathcote is a Constitution Society research fellow, his report “The City and Federalism: the UK and Germany” will be published next week on 18 March 2024.  Over the last year, I've had the privilege to research and write on the potential … [Read more...] about Out next week: “The City and Federalism: the UK and Germany”

Collective responsibility is a constitutional convention which has existed since the eighteenth century aiming to unite ministers so that they speak with one voice when facing a monarch and the public. The principles behind this convention were born … [Read more...] about The transformation of collective responsibility

The Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) is the Government’s centre of expertise, infrastructure and major projects. It gave HS2 an ‘unachievable’ rating in its latest Annual Report, where it noted huge issues around budget, … [Read more...] about HS2 and the constitutional issues of infrastructure

As the leaves turn and the days grow shorter, the United Kingdom can hear whispers of change in the air as it enters a new season – party conference season. This annual tradition, which stretches back more than a century, sees the major political … [Read more...] about Conference season: Four constitutional questions that parties need to answer