prime minister

During his first official visit to Northern Ireland as Prime Minister, Andy Burnham declared that a referendum on Irish unity was “off the table”. His immediate priorities, he explained, were public services, the cost of living and the effective … [Read more...] about ‘Off the Table’? The New Prime Minister and Northern Ireland

In his 1952 book, In Place of Fear, the Labour politician Aneurin Bevan described how as a ‘young miner in a South Wales colliery, my concern was with the one practical question: Where does power lie in this particular state of Great Britain, … [Read more...] about Andy Burnham and a Written Constitution: Is the Time Arriving?

Recent executive conduct in the United States under Donald Trump has revived an old constitutional anxiety: what happens when those at the apex of executive power are willing to test, stretch, or disregard the limits that law and convention … [Read more...] about Can the Constitution Really Restrain a Prime Minister?

During Boris Johnson’s tenure as Prime Minister, the UK experienced extreme turbulence related to the standards of ministerial behaviour. It wasn’t so much that ministers were behaving particularly badly, this happens to varying degrees during every … [Read more...] about The 2024 Ministerial Code: Weak Reforms and Missed Opportunities

Introduction  Whether politics has been subject to presidentialisation or Prime Ministerialisation within the United Kingdom’s parliamentary system is an ongoing debate. In my fellowship report for the Constitution Society, I … [Read more...] about Reversing the semi-presidency: are Labour’s proposals enough?

One of the most urgent matters on the desk of new Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn is the redevelopment of the west-Belfast sports stadium, Casement Park. The Prime Minister is reported to have told the football governing body, UEFA, that he … [Read more...] about The Constitutional Implications of the Casement Park Upgrade

Much has been made of Rishi Sunak’s decision to call an ‘early’ general election. But 4 July is only ‘early’ relative to the latest date an election could legally be held, in January 2025, and we shouldn’t be surprised that the Prime Minister hasn’t … [Read more...] about Early Election? More Like a Return to Normal

Politics has moved frenetically in recent weeks. There has been the appointment of a new First Minister in Scotland, the drama of England’s local elections, and, inevitably, countless headlines over the Government’s Rwanda plan as it entered the UK … [Read more...] about Is the UK Subject to a Deep State? Liz Truss and the Civil Service

The UK now has seven living former Prime Ministers, a first in modern history. All of these individuals receive certain benefits, like publicly funded allowances and security protection. Given some of this current cohort are still in their forties … [Read more...] about On the hook: should we fund former Prime Ministers?

Last month, Rishi Sunak’s decision to conduct airstrikes against the Houthis in Yemen sparked significant debate – not only about the merits of such actions, but also about their constitutionality. Several opposition politicians – including Scottish … [Read more...] about Towards the codification of war powers?

The unexpected resurrection of David Cameron’s political career in the closing weeks of 2023 reopened a long-standing constitutional controversy. There is a convention that all government ministers must sit in either the Commons or the Lords, … [Read more...] about Bring on the Goats: ‘Outsider’ ministers are a good idea: their peerages are otiose

In November of 2023 I was delighted to be appointed as a Research Fellow for the Constitution Society. My work for the Society will compare the operation of constitutions in the UK and Sri Lanka. In this blog, I explore the interactions between … [Read more...] about Balancing accountability and stability: A comparison of 2022 Executive Resignations in the United Kingdom and Sri Lanka