Parliament

Following its successful passage through the House of Commons in July, the Hillsborough Law (formally known as the Public Office (Accountability) Bill) is due to commence its legislative journey through the House of Lords in the coming weeks. As … [Read more...] about The Hillsborough Law: Where Are We Now?

Across the world, democracies face an increasing threat. Foreign interference, disinformation, AI, cyber attacks, the intimidation of politicians and threats to electoral integrity are causes of increasing concern. In the UK, a key response to these … [Read more...] about What is the UK’s Defending Democracy Taskforce?

Ouster clauses are provisions in legislation that seek to prevent judicial review of the exercise of public power. Since they insulate government action from being reviewed by the courts, ouster clauses reveal the tension between the principles of … [Read more...] about Ouster Clauses: Is There a Way Forward?

When the Labour government came to power and needed to deliver on its manifesto promise to ‘deepen our democracy by reforming Parliament’, it reached for a familiar tool. On 25 July 2024, MPs voted to establish the new, improved House of Commons … [Read more...] about Parliamentary Modernisation: The Long and Winding Road

When a government implements a manifesto pledge through legislation, the legal position is straightforward: the result is an Act of Parliament like any other. The harder question is whether its electoral pedigree should matter. Does the fact that a … [Read more...] about What is the Constitutional Status of Manifesto Commitments?

The question of whether to legalise assisted dying has been a recurring legal issue in the UK for decades. From the House of Lords case of R. (Pretty) v DPP in 2001 where Dianne Pretty unsuccessfully claimed that s.2 of the Suicide Act … [Read more...] about The Farcical Failure of the Assisted Dying Bill

A treaty is an agreement between states, concluded in writing, which creates rights and obligations in international law. Treaty-making in the UK is predominantly an executive function, with only limited opportunity for scrutiny afforded to … [Read more...] about Parliamentary Scrutiny of Treaties: Time for Change?

The House of Commons is already regularly lambasted for being overly theatrical but attempts to modernise its practices risk turning parliamentarians into thespians, performing rehearsed lines at pre-agreed intervals. Earlier this month, the … [Read more...] about Call Lists at Westminster: You Can Count Me Out

Supporters of assisted dying are resigning themselves to defeat amid concerns that the landmark legislation passed by the Commons will almost definitely run out of time in the Lords. Alongside other developments, this has sparked renewed hostility … [Read more...] about Is the House of Lords Overplaying its Hand?

On 2 June 2025 the Prime Minister stood before journalists at a press conference in Glasgow to trumpet the Government’s Strategic Defence Review. As a result of the Review, up to 12 new nuclear-powered submarines will slip into the water from … [Read more...] about The Speaker’s War: Announcements in the House of Commons

There are not one, but two, spectres haunting British government (to paraphrase Marx and Engels). They are two sometimes obscure but very real views on the way the British constitution is supposed to work. The first, and usually dominant, view is … [Read more...] about Westminster vs Whitehall: Who will win?

Introduction:  Abolishing the House of Lords sounds like a daring and profoundly modern proposition, but it has longstanding historical precedent. The House of Lords was actually abolished once before – in 1649.  On 19 March 1649 it … [Read more...] about A Very Short History of The House of Lords