The Constitution Unit: Recent Episodes
The Constitution Unit
The Constitution Unit conducts timely, rigorous, independent research into constitutional change and the reform of political institutions. Our research has significant real-world impact, informing policy-makers engaged in such changes - both in the United Kingdom and around the world.
On this channel, you will find the audio recordings of the Constitution Unit's past events.
Andy Burnham’s campaign to return to Westminster has pushed reform of the UK’s constitution up the political agenda. This expert panel steps back from the fast-moving political fallout of the Makerfield by-election to ask what comes next for constitutional reform. What do we know so far about Burnham’s agenda in this area? What does past experience tell us about the practical challenges for delivering such an agenda? And – ahead of a forthcoming Constitution Unit report – what broader constitutional issues deserve renewed attention from any new or continuing Prime Minister?
Speakers: Frances Foley – Our Common Home, formerly Deputy Director of Compass
Dr Catherine Haddon – Senior Fellow, Institute for Government
Lisa James – Senior Research Fellow, UCL Constitution Unit
Chair: Dr Tom Fleming – Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
Six prime ministers, a Brexit referendum, and an (unlawful) prorogation of parliament — it has been an extraordinary decade to lead the UCL Constitution Unit. Meg Russell steps back from that role and joins host Emily McTernan to reflect on a career spanning nearly three decades, from advising Robin Cook as Leader of the House of Commons to shaping parliamentary reform from the outside. Along the way, they discuss what this turbulent period reveals about the fragility of British democracy, the erosion of constitutional norms, and who is ultimately responsible for protecting our political system.
Mentioned in this episode:
- Meg Russell's valedictory lecture
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
Parliament is currently considering the Representation of the People Bill. As well as lowering the voting age for UK elections to 16, this legislation contains a host of changes in other areas, including voter registration, voter ID, political finance, and the role of the Electoral Commission. Will these changes be sufficient to deliver fair, safe, and secure elections? If not, what more needs to be done? And does safeguarding our elections require changes of culture and behaviour, as well as new legislation?
Speakers:
- Phoebe Arnold – Policy Lead at Full Fact
- John Pullinger – Chair of the Electoral Commission
- Philip Rycroft – former senior civil servant, and author of the 2026 review into countering foreign financial influence and interference in UK politics
Chair: Professor Alan Renwick – Director of the Constitution Unit
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
Improving standards in public life was a key plank of Labour’s promise to be different from its predecessors in government. In opposition, the party promised better behaviour and stronger systems of regulation. In office, it has introduced a number of changes, such as the creation of the promised Ethics and Integrity Commission. However, the government has faced multiple standards-related scandals, particularly in the fallout from Lord Mandelson’s appointment – and subsequent dismissal – as Ambassador to the United States. So has the government taken sufficient steps to strengthen standards in public life? How have recent events affected its plans? And what more remains to be done?
Speakers:
- Baroness (Ruth) Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent – Parliamentary Secretary in the Cabinet Office, Baroness-in-Waiting (Government Whip), and Labour peer
- Doug Chalmers – Chair of the Ethics and Integrity Commission
- Dr Susan Hawley – Executive Director of Spotlight on Corruption
- Lord (Mark) Pack – Liberal Democrat spokesperson for the Cabinet Office
Chair: Lisa James – Senior Research Fellow, Constitution Unit
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
The last year has seen much discussion of how policymakers should approach changing the law in unusually difficult policy areas. In particular, failed attempts to legalise ‘assisted dying’ at Westminster and Holyrood have highlighted the challenges of legislating in areas that involve ethical debates as well as more practical questions of policy design. Meanwhile, the UK government has announced a ‘Peoples’ Panel’ on Digital ID, which adds to questions of whether innovative processes could help. This panel discusses how the policymaking process can best be designed to handle particularly controversial issues. Might it require reforms to how legislation is prepared, drafted, and debated? What are the advantages and disadvantages of using backbench bills, and of more direct public involvement?
Speakers:
- Lord (Charlie) Falconer of Thoroton – Labour peer, former minister, and Lords sponsor of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
- Dr Ruth Fox – Director of the Hansard Society
- Professor Jane Suiter – Director of Dublin City University’s Institute for Future Media, Democracy and Society
Chair: Dr Tom Fleming – Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
Uncertainty over Keir Starmer’s future has revived interest in the question – familiar from previous Conservative governments – of how political parties should select and remove their leaders. This raises various important issues, including the process by which MPs can remove incumbent leaders, the respective roles of MPs and party members in choosing a replacement, and – in an era of greater devolution – whether politicians beyond Westminster should be able to throw their hat into the ring. This panel will therefore ask: are UK political parties’ leadership selection rules fit for purpose?
Speakers:
- Lord (Graham) Brady of Altrincham – Conservative peer and former Chair of the Conservative Party’s 1922 Committee
- Sienna Rodgers – Deputy Editor of The House magazine and former editor of LabourList
- Dr Robert Saunders – Reader in Modern British History at Queen Mary University of London
Chair: Professor Meg Russell – Director of the Constitution Unit to May 2026
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
The British public’s faith in the political system is in serious need of repair. This is particularly urgent given international fears about a wider turn away from democracy in many countries including the United States. Labour’s 2024 manifesto promised to ‘deepen’, ‘strengthen’ and ‘protect’ democracy in the UK. But what can be done to restore public confidence in the health of British democracy? To what extent does it depend on politicians delivering tangible improvements in citizens’ everyday lives? And to what extent does it require wider institutional and cultural changes in our political institutions? With respect to the latter, how could such changes be delivered?
Speakers:
- Polly Curtis – Chief Executive of Demos
- Anneliese Dodds MP – Labour MP for Oxford East and former Minister for Women and Equalities and for International Development
- Professor Marc Stears – Director of the UCL Policy Lab
- Sue Tibballs – Chief Executive of Involve
Chair: Professor Alan Renwick – Director of the Constitution Unit
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
This opening panel is held 10 years to the day since the 2016 ‘Brexit’ referendum result was announced. As was predicted at the time, neither the referendum nor the UK’s eventual departure from the EU in 2020 definitively settled the UK–EU relationship, which has continued to evolve. Recent discussions have focused particularly on the Labour government’s efforts to achieve closer cooperation with the EU, and its plans for more ongoing alignment with EU rules. Particular challenges also remain in Northern Ireland. So, ten years after the referendum, what is the current state of UK–EU relations? What has changed since Labour took office? And what further changes might be coming?
Speakers:
- Professor Katy Hayward – Professor of Political Sociology at Queen’s University Belfast
- Professor Anand Menon – Director of the UK in a Changing Europe and Professor of European Politics and Foreign Affairs at King’s College London
- Lord (Jock) Stirrup – Crossbench peer and chair of the House of Lords European Affairs Committee
Chair: Lisa James – Senior Research Fellow, Constitution Unit
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
On 12 May 2026, Professor Meg Russell FBA's time as Director of the UCL Constitution Unit culminated in her delivering a valedictory lecture at the Institute for Government. Professor Jennifer Hudson, Vice Provost (Faculties) at University College London, introduced the lecture, while Dr Hannah White, Director of the Institute for Government, concluded it. Audience questions have been removed from this recording.
Professor Russell had led the Unit since 1 October 2015. She arrived at UCL in 1998, becoming Professor of British and Comparative Politics in 2014 and a Fellow of the British Academy in 2020. She is a leading authority on parliaments comparatively and the UK parliament, including a particular interest in the House of Lords.
Professor Russell will continue to be based at UCL, and from September will drop to a 50% contract, continuing to teach, write and contribute to policy debates. She is succeeded as Director by Professor Alan Renwick, with Dr Tom Fleming serving as Deputy Director.
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
The government has begun the process of reviewing the BBC’s royal charter for its renewal beyond 2027. This process raises fundamental questions about the future of the organisation. How should public service broadcasting be governed in an era of widespread polarisation and distrust? How can any future governance arrangements ensure both independence and accountability? And what role should there be there for the public? We discuss these questions and others with an expert panel.
Speakers:
Professor Dame Diane Coyle – Bennett Professor of Public Policy at the University of Cambridge and former Vice Chair of the BBC Trust
Professor Georgina Born – Professor of Anthropology and Music at UCL
Sameer Padania – Fellow at Demos
Chair: Professor Alan Renwick – Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit
Useful reading:
Georgina Born and Justin Lewis (eds.) (2025) Public service media: funding and governance options. The British Academy.
Diane Coyle (2024) ‘The Governance of the BBC’, The Political Quarterly, 95(1), pp. 20–24.
Sameer Padania, Hannah Perry, and Polly Curtis (2026) Our BBC: A blueprint for a more independent and future-proofed BBC. Demos.
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
The 2026 Senedd (Welsh Parliament) election may be one of the most significant since the start of devolution. Much attention is rightly being given to the possibility of Plaid Cymru and Reform UK ending Labour’s long dominance of Welsh politics. But this is also the first election since major reforms introduced a new electoral system, new constituencies, shorter electoral terms, and a move from 60 to 96 Senedd members. So what should we expect from the elections? How will these reforms affect the election result, the work of the Senedd, and the wider shape of Welsh politics? And are further reforms needed to safeguard and strengthen Welsh democracy? We discuss these questions with an expert panel.
Speakers:
Jess Blair – Director of Electoral Reform Society Cymru
Professor Laura McAllister – Professor of Public Policy and the Governance of Wales at Cardiff University and former Co-Chair of the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales
Sir Paul Silk – former Clerk to the National Assembly for Wales and Chair of the Commission on Devolution in Wales
Chair: Professor Alan Renwick – Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
The 2024 election delivered an unusually fragmented opposition; almost half the non-government seats in the House of Commons were won by parties other than the Conservative 'Official Opposition'. Given current polling, the next general election is unlikely to see a return to simple 'two-party' politics.
In that context, does the Commons need to change its culture, practices, or procedures to better reflect an era of more fragmented politics? What particular challenges face smaller parties in the Commons? How can they maximise their impact? We discussed these questions with the Green Party's Westminster leader, a former senior Commons official, and an academic expert.
Speakers:
Dr Ellie Chowns MP – Green Party Westminster Leader and MP for North Herefordshire
Paul Evans – former House of Commons clerk
Dr Louise Thompson – Senior Lecturer in Politics, University of Manchester
Chair: Professor Meg Russell – Director of the Constitution Unit
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
The UK awards hundreds of honours each year to mark notable achievements and contributions to society. These awards – such as knighthoods, damehoods, and OBEs – can be a source of pride and a cause of controversy. So how are people chosen for these honours? How does the system work behind the scenes? And could it be improved? Ahead of the New Year Honours, we’ll discuss these questions with an expert panel.
Speakers:
Dame Sue Owen – former member of the Arts and Media, Economy, and Sport Honours Committees and former Permanent Secretary at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Sir Peter Riddell – former member of the Parliamentary and Political Service Honours Committee, former Commissioner for Public Appointments, and Honorary Professor at UCL
Dominic Grieve KC – former Attorney General for England and Wales, and Conservative MP for Beaconsfield 1997–2019
Chair: Professor Meg Russell – Director of the Constitution Unit
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
Please note that, in places, the microphones momentarily failed to record the proceedings at this event. We apologise.
In the UK, calls for the withdrawal from the European Convention of Human Rights are becoming louder and more persistent. The government has promised to look into the case for reform of the Convention, but at present there are no details about what this would look like. Yet, the discussions about the future of the ECHR are not limited to the UK. Across the Council of Europe many states are considering the case for renegotiation of current obligations under the Convention, particularly in the context of migration. In Denmark, the government is reviewing the practice of its courts and drafting a proposal for a new agreement that would amend the current text of the Convention and allow the government to limit its obligations in relation to particular groups of migrants. How are these developments at European level relevant for the discussion in the UK?
A panel of expert speakers familiar with the developments in Denmark, UK, and the Council of Europe speak about the pressures that human rights and especially the European Convention find themselves under and what the options are for states seeking a reform of the system.
Speakers:
Former Judge Robert Spano, Former President of European Court of Human Rights, Partner at Gibson Dunn
Professor Jens Elo Peters Rytter, Professor of Constitutional Law, University of Copenhagen
Professor Colm O’Cinneide, Professor of Constitutional and Human Rights Law, UCL
Professor Alice Donald, Professor in Human Rights Law, Middlesex University London
Chair: Professor Veronika Fikfak, Professor of Human Rights and International Law, UCL
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
The UK government published an elections policy paper in the summer, including proposals for votes at 16, automated electoral registration, and strengthened political finance rules. With an Elections Bill expected in November, this panel will assess the government’s proposals and consider whether they will be sufficient to ensure electoral integrity. For example, are tighter rules needed on political donations? Should more be done to protect the independence of the Electoral Commission? Should requirements for truthfulness in political speech be strengthened?
Speakers:
Cat Smith MP – Labour MP for Lancaster and Wyre
Rose Whiffen – Senior Research Officer, Transparency International UK
Tom Hawthorn – Head of Policy, Electoral Commission
Professor David Howarth – Professor of Law and Public Policy, University of Cambridge, former UK Electoral Commissioner (2010–18), and former Liberal Democrat MP for Cambridge (2005–10)
Chair: Professor Alan Renwick – Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
Many of the highest-profile political issues – including trade, security, and immigration – are now shaped by international treaties and agreements. These agreements are negotiated by ministers and officials, and recent years have seen complaints that the UK’s parliaments lack the scrutiny tools they need. So why does parliamentary scrutiny of international agreements matter? Does the current system allow for adequate scrutiny? And if not, what needs to change?
Speakers:
Lord (Peter) Goldsmith KC – Chair of the House of Lords International Agreements Committee
Arabella Lang – Head of Public Law at the Law Society
Clare Adamson MSP – SNP MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw, and Convener of the Scottish Parliament’s Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee.
Chair: Lisa James – Senior Research Fellow, Constitution Unit
Further reading:
- 'Treaty scrutiny in Westminster: addressing the accountability gap' (House of Lords International Agreements Committee, 11 September 2025).
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
The UK government has promised a ‘devolution revolution’ in England, with major changes to the structure of regional and local government, and has published a detailed white paper setting out its plans. How might these changes affect the delivery of public services and quality of local democracy? How will they change the place of local government in the wider constitutional structure? What else might be needed to ensure that ministers achieve their goals? We discussed these questions with an expert panel including two current and former council leaders.
Speakers:
- Bella Sankey – Labour Leader of Brighton & Hove City Council and Deputy Leader of the Local Government Association Labour Group
- Roger Gough – former Conservative Leader of Kent County Council (2019–25)
- Professor Arianna Giovannini – Professor of Political Sociology at the University of Urbino, Italy and former Director of IPPR North.
Chair: Professor Alan Renwick – Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
This summer marks a year since Labour’s landslide victory at the 2024 general election. The party’s manifesto contained a number of pledges for reforming the UK’s constitution and political institutions. So how have those pledges fared since Labour took office? Which promises have been delivered? What unexpected changes have been introduced? And what further reforms will – or should – be on the government’s agenda?
This online conference took stock of constitutional developments in the last year, and looked ahead, with a range of senior speakers including parliamentarians, academics, and commentators.
This closing session brought together a cross-party senior panel to offer reflections on the Labour government’s constitutional agenda, and possible alternative priorities.
Speakers:
- Alex Burghart MP – Conservative MP for Brentwood and Ongar, Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
- Sarah Olney MP – Liberal Democrat MP for Richmond Park, and Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for the Cabinet Office
- Baroness (Dianne) Hayter of Kentish Town – Labour peer, and former Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
Chair: Professor Meg Russell FBA – Director of the Constitution Unit
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
This summer marks a year since Labour’s landslide victory at the 2024 general election. The party’s manifesto contained a number of pledges for reforming the UK’s constitution and political institutions. So how have those pledges fared since Labour took office? Which promises have been delivered? What unexpected changes have been introduced? And what further reforms will – or should – be on the government’s agenda?
This online conference took stock of constitutional developments in the last year, and looked ahead, with a range of senior speakers including parliamentarians, academics, and commentators.
The newly established Modernisation Committee has set out broad objectives of reforming standards, working practices, and procedure in the House of Commons. The Commons Procedure Committee has also announced a large number of inquiries. What are the priority areas for Commons reform? What should any reforms aim to achieve, and how can they balance competing priorities, for example of strengthening scrutiny and easing MPs’ working lives? How can reforms successfully attract broad support and allow the Commons to work more effectively?
Speakers:
- Cat Smith MP – Labour MP for Lancaster and Wyre, and chair of the House of Commons Procedure Committee
- Wendy Chamberlain MP – Liberal Democrat MP for North East Fife, Liberal Democrat Chief Whip, and member of the House of Commons Modernisation Committee
- Dr Hannah White – Director of the Institute for Government
Chair: Dr Tom Fleming – Lecturer in British and Comparative Politics, UCL
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
This summer marks a year since Labour’s landslide victory at the 2024 general election. The party’s manifesto contained a number of pledges for reforming the UK’s constitution and political institutions. So how have those pledges fared since Labour took office? Which promises have been delivered? What unexpected changes have been introduced? And what further reforms will – or should – be on the government’s agenda?
The rule of law
The Lord Chancellor and the Attorney General have both placed great emphasis on this new government upholding the rule of law. What does this mean in practice? Has the government delivered on this aspiration, and what more is needed to do so? What challenges has it faced?
Speakers:
- Andy Slaughter MP – Labour MP for Hammersmith and Chiswick, and chair of the House of Commons Justice Committee
- Baroness (Victoria) Prentis of Banbury KC – Conservative peer, former Attorney General and former Conservative MP
- Dr Joelle Grogan – legal academic and presenter of The Law Show on BBC Radio 4
Chair: Professor Veronika Fikfak – Professor of Human Rights and International Law, UCL
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
This summer marks a year since Labour’s landslide victory at the 2024 general election. The party’s manifesto contained a number of pledges for reforming the UK’s constitution and political institutions. So how have those pledges fared since Labour took office? Which promises have been delivered? What unexpected changes have been introduced? And what further reforms will – or should – be on the government’s agenda?
The electoral system in a multiparty era
The growth of multiparty politics raises questions about whether the First Past the Post electoral system can still be justified. What are the arguments for and against reform? What alternative systems might be considered? And, with ministers saying they will maintain the status quo, is there any way reform could actually come about?
Speakers:
- Peter Lamb MP – Labour MP for Crawley
- Frances Foley – Deputy Director of Compass
- Professor Robert Ford – Professor of Political Science at the University of Manchester
Chair: Professor Alan Renwick - Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
This summer marks a year since Labour’s landslide victory at the 2024 general election. The party’s manifesto contained a number of pledges for reforming the UK’s constitution and political institutions. So how have those pledges fared since Labour took office? Which promises have been delivered? What unexpected changes have been introduced? And what further reforms will – or should – be on the government’s agenda?
Standards in public life
The Labour Party put standards and ethics at the heart of its attacks on the previous Conservative government, promising to bring in a ‘politics of service’. Has the party's conduct in office lived up to this rhetoric? How has it changed the regulation of standards in government and parliament? What further changes are needed in this area, and what is the best means to ensure that these are delivered?
Speakers:
- Sir Jeremy Wright KC MP – Conservative MP for Kenilworth and Southam, former Attorney General and former member of the Committee on Standards in Public Life
- Phil Brickell MP – Labour MP for Bolton West
- Professor Gillian Peele – member of the Committee on Standards in Public Life and Emeritus Associate Professor of Politics at the University of Oxford
Chair: Lisa James – Senior Research Fellow, Constitution Unit
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
This summer marks a year since Labour’s landslide victory at the 2024 general election. The party’s manifesto contained a number of pledges for reforming the UK’s constitution and political institutions. So how have those pledges fared since Labour took office? Which promises have been delivered? What unexpected changes have been introduced? And what further reforms will – or should – be on the government’s agenda?
This online conference took stock of constitutional developments in the last year, and looked ahead, with a range of senior speakers including parliamentarians, academics, and commentators.
Opening keynote from Nick Thomas-Symonds MP, Minister for the Cabinet Office
In this opening keynote address, Nick Thomas-Symonds summarised the government’s approach to the constitution, and priorities for constitutional reform. What has been achieved so far, and what are the most important priorities for the future? Which key principles underpin the government’s plans?
Speaker:
Nick Thomas-Symonds MP is Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with responsibility for the constitution and EU relations. He has been the Labour MP for Torfaen since 2015 and his previous posts include Shadow Home Secretary and Shadow Solicitor General. He is a former barrister and academic.
Chair: Professor Meg Russell FBA – Director of the Constitution Unit
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
Artificial intelligence (AI) is predicted to transform many aspects of our lives in the coming years. One of these is the functioning of the democratic system. AI could shift how election campaigns are conducted and how citizens receive and process information. It could also fundamentally alter patterns of power across society. So what potential effects of AI on democracy should we be particularly aware of? To what degree are there opportunities as well as dangers? And how should policy-makers respond? We discussed these questions with an expert panel.
Speakers:
- Danielle Allen, James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University, specialising in political philosophy, public policy, and ethics, and Founder and Chairperson of Partners In Democracy.
- Helen Margetts, Professor of Society and the Internet at the Oxford Internet Institute at the University of Oxford, and Director of the Public Policy programme at the Alan Turing Institute.
- Ciaran Martin, Professor of Practice in the Management of Public Organisations at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, and formerly Chief Executive of the UK government’s National Cyber Security Centre.
Chair: Professor Alan Renwick – Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit
Additional reading:
'The Real Dangers of Generative AI' by Danielle Allen and E. Glen Weyl
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
Talk of possible reforms to the Stormont institutions has been growing recently, spurred by concerns about repeated institutional collapses, perceived inequities between different parts of society, and criticisms of the institutions' record in governance. But what options for reform are there, and what impacts might these have if implemented? A newly published report from the Constitution Unit at University College London addresses these questions. It does not draw conclusions, but aims to promote wider, more coherent and better-informed debate.
This public event, hosted in collaboration with the Democracy Unit at Queen’s University Belfast, offered an occasion for such debate. The report’s authors were joined by leading experts to explore the ideas and possible ways forward.
Speakers:
- Professor Katy Hayward – Professor of Political Sociology, Queen’s University Belfast
- Professor Alan Renwick – Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit
- Ann Watt – Director of Pivotal
- Alan Whysall, Honorary Senior Research Associate at the Constitution Unit
Chair: Professor John Garry, Director of the Democracy Unit, Queen’s University Belfast
Read the report
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
Political parties are central to the functioning of representative democracy in the UK, playing a crucial role during and between elections. How parties fund their activities is thus a vital question, and one that has been much discussed in recent months. New controversies have shone a light on long-standing debates about who can donate to political parties, how much they can donate, and the transparency of their donations. So what are the strengths and weaknesses of the UK’s party funding regulations? Are the current regulations sufficiently robust, fair, and transparent? And if not, how might they be improved? We discussed these questions with an expert panel.
- Jackie Killeen – Director of Electoral Administration and Regulation, Electoral Commission
- Lord (Mark) Pack – President, Liberal Democrats
- Professor Justin Fisher – Professor of Political Science, Brunel University of London
- Dr Jess Garland – Director of Research and Policy, Electoral Reform Society
Chair: Professor Alan Renwick – Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
Politics in the UK has been in turmoil in recent years — Brexit, Covid, movements for independence in Scotland and Northern Ireland, rule-breaking Prime Ministers and now the shockwaves from Donald Trump’s return to the White House. These pressures have tested the UK’s political system, raising serious questions about whether constitutional reforms are needed.
In this episode, we dive into a new report from the UCL Constitution Unit, which examines possible constitutional changes, their likelihood of passing, and whether they could truly address the challenges the UK faces. Our guests are two of the report’s authors:
- Meg Russell – Director of the Constitution Unit and Professor of British and Comparative Politics at UCL
- Lisa James – Senior Research Fellow at the Constitution Unit
Our host, Alan Renwick, also a co-author of the report, leads the discussion on possible constitutional reforms, their feasibility, and what reforms could be on the horizon.
Mentioned in this episode:
- The Constitutional Landscape: Options for Reform, by Lisa James, Patrick Thomas, Alan Renwick and Meg Russell.
- S7:E10 A Primer on House of Lords Reform, with Meg Russell.
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
Recent years have seen frequent complaints about the quality of legislative scrutiny by parliament, and particularly by the House of Commons. Various commentators and experts have argued that the scrutiny of proposed laws is too often rushed and/or inadequate, leading to worse policy outcomes for citizens. This online seminar will explore a number of important questions. What problems are there with the legislative process? Have they got worse? And what can be done to fix them?
Speakers:
- Professor Meg Russell – Director of the Constitution Unit
- Sir David Natzler – former Clerk of the House of Commons
- Dr Daniel Gover – Senior Lecturer in British Politics, Queen Mary University of London
Chair: Lisa James – Senior Research Fellow, Constitution Unit
Further reading
Prof Meg Russell's research on the decline of parliamentary scrutiny
Prof Meg Russell and Dr Daniel Gover's book: Legislation at Westminster: Parliamentary Actors and Influence in the Making of British Law
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
Parliament is at the heart of democracy—it’s where voters are represented, laws are debated, and key decisions are made. But who really controls what gets discussed and how time is allocated?
In the UK, that power lies overwhelmingly with the government, leaving most MPs with little say over what they debate. That seems odd—after all, parliament is supposed to be sovereign. So why does it allow the government, a supposedly subordinate body, to set its agenda?
To unravel this, Prof Alan Renwick is joined by Dr Tom Fleming, Lecturer in British and Comparative Politics at UCL and a member of the UCL Constitution Unit.
Mentioned in this episode:
- Fleming, Thomas G., Simon Hix and Radoslaw Zubek. 2024. “ The Origins of Centralized Agenda Control at Westminster: Consensus or Controversy?” Legislative Studies Quarterly
- The controversial origins of centralised agenda control at Westminster. Constitution Unit Blog
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
The Labour government has committed to lowering the voting age for Westminster elections from 18 to 16. This proposal raises a number of questions for policymakers to consider. What might be the consequences of widening the franchise in this way? What practical steps will be required to implement this change and – just as importantly – to ensure it works well? In particular, how might teaching about politics in schools need to change? And what can be learned from other elections, in the UK and beyond, in which 16 and 17 year olds are able to vote? An expert panel discusses these questions.
Speakers:
- Liz Moorse – CEO of the Association for Citizenship Teaching
- Dr Christine Huebner – Lecturer in Quantitative Social Sciences, University of Sheffield
- Marcus Flucker – Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament for Angus South
Chair: Professor Alan Renwick – Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
This year’s UK general election saw a range of concerns about the quality of election discourse. Alongside evidence of many candidates facing abuse and intimidation, the campaign also saw the spread – particularly online – of misinformation and disinformation. Meanwhile, Labour and the Conservatives were accused of a ‘conspiracy of silence’ about the costing of party manifesto pledges, and voters faced difficulties knowing where to turn for trustworthy sources of information.
These challenges all threaten to undermine the UK’s democratic process. So how can they be tackled? This webinar will bring together experts from the Electoral Commission, Full Fact, and the Jo Cox Civility Commission to discuss options for practical solutions.
Speakers:
- Michela Palese – Head of Policy, Electoral Commission
- Chris Morris – CEO, Full Fact
- Hannah Phillips – Manager, Jo Cox Civility Commission
Chair: Professor Alan Renwick – Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
Opposition parties play a crucial role in parliamentary democracy, scrutinising the government and putting forward alternative policies. But what makes opposition parties effective, both inside parliament and beyond? As the Conservative Party announced its new leader, this expert panel with first-hand experience of life in opposition discussed the task facing them and the other opposition parties.
Speakers:
- Baroness (Kate) Fall – former Deputy Chief of Staff to David Cameron, and Conservative peer
- Professor Marc Stears – former chief speechwriter to the Labour Party, and Director of the UCL Policy Lab
- Dr Nigel Fletcher – co-founder of the Centre for Opposition Studies
Chair: Professor Meg Russell – Director of the Constitution Unit
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
This autumn the House of Commons has elected a raft of new select committee chairs who will play an important role in holding the government to account over the coming years. But there are many ways to chair a select committee, and new chairs will need to think carefully about what they want to achieve and how to go about it.
This webinar brings together three senior former MPs and select committee chairs to discuss their experiences, and their reflections on how to use the role most effectively.
Speakers:
- Baroness (Margaret) Hodge of Barking – former chair of the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee, Labour peer, and former Labour MP
- Sir Charles Walker – former chair of the House of Commons Procedure Committee and Administration Committee, and former Conservative MP
- Joanna Cherry KC – former chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights and former SNP MP
Chair: Lisa James – Senior Research Fellow at the Constitution Unit
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
The House of Commons has established a new Modernisation Committee with a remit ‘to consider reforms to House of Commons procedures, standards, and working practices’. This reflects a Labour manifesto commitment, and echoes the Modernisation Committee appointed in 1997 under the last Labour government.
As the committee gets up and running this autumn, it faces a number of important questions. How should it approach its work, what issues might it address, and what lessons can it learn from past efforts to reform the Commons? We discussed these questions with an expert panel.
Speakers:
- Greg Power – former special adviser to two Leaders of the House of Commons, and Founder and Board Chair of Global Partners Governance
- Dr Sue Griffiths – Clerk to the previous House of Commons Modernisation Committee 2007–08, and Managing Director of Social Development Direct
- Dr Tom Fleming – Lecturer in British and Comparative Politics, Constitution Unit
Chair: Professor Meg Russell – Director of the Constitution Unit
Useful reading:
- Commons Modernisation Committee publishes key strategic aims for reform
- The House of Commons Modernisation Committee: background, opportunities, and potential pitfalls by Tom Fleming and Hannah Kelly
- The personal side of parliamentary reform by Greg Power
For those interested in keeping up to date with the Modernisation Committee, you can subscribe to its email list using this link.
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
The composition and role of the House of Lords are subject to frequent question. Since the last major change by a Labour government in 1999, proposals for further reform have ranged from wholesale change – e.g. creating an elected second chamber of the nations and regions – to smaller alterations to change the appointments system or to limit the chamber’s size. To what extent should a new government prioritise House of Lords reform, and what specifically should be the priorities? If the Conservatives lose office, what challenges might be posed by their still being the largest single group in the upper chamber?
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
The role of courts and judges has been controversial in recent years, with criticism of both domestic judges and the European Court of Human Rights. Several government bills have raised difficult questions about the respective roles of government, parliament, and the courts. Has the rule of law been undermined by recent trends in policymaking or political discourse? If so, what should be done to bolster and protect it in the future?
Links:
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list
Blog: constitution-unit.com
The last two decades have seen major changes in the structure of sub-national government within England, with the gradual devolution of powers to a range of new mayors and combined authorities. How should this patchwork of devolution be built upon? Should structures be more consistent across the country? Should further powers be devolved, and – if so – to whom? What steps are required to ensure that this devolved power faces appropriate scrutiny and accountability?
Speakers:
- Professor Tony Travers – Director of LSE London and Visiting Professor at the LSE
- Professor Joanie Willett – Associate Professor in Politics and Co-Director of the Institute of Cornish Studies, University of Exeter
- Akash Paun – Programme Director, Institute for Government
- Ed Cox – Executive Director for Strategy, Economy and Net Zero at the West Midlands Combined Authority
Chair: Professor Alan Renwick – Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit
Links
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved
Blog: https://constitution-unit.com/
The 2019–24 parliament has been dogged by complaints of low standards of conduct by our politicians. Rishi Sunak has committed to upholding the ideals of ‘integrity, professionalism, and accountability’, while Labour has promised to overhaul how standards are regulated in government and parliament. What are the priorities in this area for a new government to address? Does this require cultural changes, institutional reforms, or both? Which changes or reforms might be most effective?
Speakers:
- Dominic Grieve KC – Chair of the UK Governance Project, former Attorney General and Conservative MP
- Peter Riddell – former Commissioner for Public Appointments, Director of the Institute for Government and journalist
- Tim Durrant – Programme Director, Institute for Government
Chair: Professor Meg Russell FBA – Director of the Constitution Unit
Episode links:
The joint statement on standards
Links
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved
Blog: https://constitution-unit.com/
The podcast originally appeared on 'Uncovering Politics' from UCL's Department of Political Science.
In the run up to the UK General Election we have a special episode on opinion polls.
Opinion polling is a staple of modern elections, captivating political enthusiasts with fluctuating numbers but also sparking controversy. Polls are sometimes criticized for inaccuracies, notably in the Brexit referendum and the 2016 US presidential election. Polling methods, including sampling and voter prediction, are hotly debated. The emergence of MRP polls, which accurately estimated results in the 2017 UK election, has added to the intrigue, despite producing widely varying predictions for the outcome of the current UK election. So what should we make of the polls? And how can we best interpret all the numbers to understand what’s really going on?
Our guest is Prof Ben Lauderdale. Ben is Professor of Political Science here at UCL, a former Senior Data Science Advisor to the polling firm YouGov, the original brain behind the development of MRP methods and general polling guru.
UCL’s Department of Political Science and School of Public Policy offers a uniquely stimulating environment for the study of all fields of politics, including international relations, political theory, human rights, public policy-making and administration. The Department is recognised for its world-class research and policy impact, ranking among the top departments in the UK on both the 2021 Research Excellence Framework and the latest Guardian rankings.
Links
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved
Blog: https://constitution-unit.com/
Whatever the result of the upcoming general election, a large number of new MPs will enter the House of Commons. A well-designed induction programme will be crucial for helping them to find their feet and become effective parliamentarians. So what do new MPs need to know about their roles in parliament and beyond? How might this differ from in the past, and how might such induction best be delivered? We discussed these questions with experts from the Hansard Society and Institute for Government, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, and a former MP.
Speakers
- Dr Ruth Fox – Director of the Hansard Society
- Dr Hannah White – Director of the Institute for Government
- Daniel Greenberg – Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards
- Alistair Burt – former Conservative MP and minister
Chair: Professor Meg Russell – Director of the Constitution Unit
Links
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved
Blog: https://constitution-unit.com/
Recent years have seen many changes to election regulations in the UK. These changes affect key aspects of how elections are fought and administered, including party spending, voter identification, the voting rights of citizens living abroad, and the electoral system used to elect mayors and police and crime commissioners.
So what has changed, what effects might these changes have, and what challenges do they present for parties, candidates, and electoral administrators? An expert panel discussed these questions a week before the 2 May local elections.
Speakers
- Laura Lock – Deputy Chief Executive of the Association of Electoral Administrators
- Lord (Paul) Tyler – Liberal Democrat peer and former MP, co-author of the 2023 book Can Parliament Take Back Control?
- Professor Alistair Clark – Professor of Political Science, Newcastle University
Chair: Professor Alan Renwick – Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit
Read a briefing from the Hansard Society on general election rules and regulations: https://www.hansardsociety.org.uk/publications/briefings/general-election-rules-and-regulations.
Links
Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved
Blog: https://constitution-unit.com/
The UK’s recent air strikes on the Houthis in Yemen have renewed discussion about parliament’s role in approving military action. The government is not constitutionally required to consult parliament on military deployments, and can choose whether and when to seek MPs’ approval. So what is parliament’s current role? Should this be changed, as some opposition parties have suggested? If so, what are some of the possibilities and challenges?
In this webinar, an expert panel discuss parliament’s current role, and whether reform is desirable or feasible.
Speakers:
David Lidington – Chair of the Royal United Services Institute, former Conservative MP for Aylesbury, and former Minister for the Cabinet Office, Lord Chancellor, and Leader of the House of Commons
Dr Veronika Fikfak – Associate Professor in International Law, University College London
Dr James Strong – Senior Lecturer in British Politics and Foreign Policy, Queen Mary University of London
Chair: Lisa James – Research Fellow, Constitution Unit
Diagram of parliamentary war convention
Useful reading:
- How might Keir Starmer codify his Prevention of Military Intervention Act? by Robert Hazell
- Parliament’s Secret War by Veronika Fikfak and Hayley J. Hooper
- The war powers of the British parliament: What has been established, and what remains unclear? by James Strong
Protest is a fundamental part of democracy. From thousands attending pro-Palestine marches in London, to farmers driving their tractors into Paris, Berlin, and Cardiff, to Just Stop Oil spraying UCL’s famous portico orange – protests are rarely out of the spotlight.
But what do protests actuallyachieve? Do they affect political debate and policy outcomes?
A new study sheds light on that, focusing on the impact of climate protests here in the UK on what MPs talk about – both in parliament itself and online.
One of the co-authors of that article is Tom Fleming, Lecturer in British and Comparative Politics, who joins us for this episode.
Mentioned in this episode:
- Barrie, C., Fleming, T. G., and Rowan, S. S. (2023) ‘Does Protest Influence Political Speech? Evidence from UK Climate Protest, 2017-2019’, British Journal of Political Science.
On 1 February a cross-party expert commission, the UK Governance Project, chaired by former Conservative Attorney General Dominic Grieve, published its report. It makes various proposals for improving governance standards in the UK, aimed at restoring high standards of integrity in public office, enhancing the role of parliament, improving working between ministers and the civil service, and protecting democracy. What are the commission’s proposals? How could they be implemented? Could they improve how the UK is governed?
This webinar will discuss the commission’s report with its chair, Dominic Grieve, and Helen MacNamara, another member of the commission, with opportunities for the audience to put questions to its authors.
Speakers:
- Dominic Grieve – chair of the UK Governance Project, former Attorney General for England and Wales, and former Conservative MP for Beaconsfield
- Helen MacNamara – former Deputy Cabinet Secretary and Director General of the Cabinet Office Propriety and Constitution Group
Chair: Professor Meg Russell – Director of the Constitution Unit
Further reading:
Read the commission's report
Read a summary of the report on our blog by Dominic Grieve
The Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales launched its final report in January 2024. Its recommendations – which assessed options for ‘entrenched devolution’, full federalism, and Welsh independence – have implications for the whole UK. How would such arrangements be viewed outside Wales? How would they function in practice? Would they affect constitutional debates in Scotland, England, and Northern Ireland?
This webinar discusses these UK-wide implications with an expert panel including the Commission’s Co-chair, Professor Laura McAllister.
Speakers:
- Laura McAllister - Professor of Public Policy at Cardiff University's Wales Governance Centre and co-chair of the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales
- Nicola McEwen - Professor of Public Policy in the College of Social Sciences and Director of the Centre for Public Policy at the University of Glasgow
- Ciaran Martin - Professor of Practice in the Management of Public Organisations at the Blavatnik School of Government and former Constitution Director in the Cabinet Office
Chair: Alan Renwick - Professor of Democratic Politics and Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit
How parliaments hold ministers (particularly prime ministers) to account is a fundamental part of parliamentary democracy. And one of those mechanisms of accountability involves asking questions.
We take a good hard look at how – and how effectively – parliaments question prime ministers.
We are joined by Dr Ruxandra Serban, Associate Lecturer in Democratic and Authoritarian Politics here in the UCL Department of Political Science. Her research focuses directly on parliamentary questioning processes.
Peace in Northern Ireland is widely recognised as one of the leading achievements of politics in recent decades. The Good Friday, or Belfast Agreement, reached in 1998 by the British and Irish governments and most of the main Northern Ireland political parties brought an end to thirty years of violent conflict in which over three and a half thousand people were killed.
It did so in part by establishing a system of power-sharing government. A new Northern Ireland Assembly would be elected by proportional representation, so no one group could dominate. Within the new Northern Ireland Executive, representatives of Northern Ireland’s two political traditions would have to work together.
Over the years since the Agreement was reached, the power-sharing institutions have worked well some of the time. But for others they have worked badly or not at all. Since February 2022 their functioning has once again been suspended. Public anger at this situation is intense. Negotiations for restoring the institutions are ongoing. But, as yet, there has been no breakthrough.
Indeed, the situation has become so grave that many think the future viability of power-sharing government is now in doubt. And there are suggestions that the settlement reached in 1998 may need to be revisited.
In this episode we’re joined by two experts:
Alan Whysall is an Honorary Senior Research Associate at the Constitution Unit here within the UCL Department of Political Science. He was previously a senior civil servant in the Northern Ireland Office, where he worked for many years on the Northern Ireland peace process – including the talks that led to the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.
Conor Kelly is a Research Assistant at the Constitution where he has worked on multiple projects relating to Northern Ireland, most recently examining perceptions of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement among politicians and the public in Northern Ireland.
Mentioned in this episode:
- Alan Whysall’s reports: 'Report 1: Northern Ireland's Political Future' and 'Report 2: The Agreement at 25' https://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/northern-irelands-political-future
- Conor Kelly and Alan Renwick, Perspectives on the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement
Over the past two years, a Constitution Unit team has been examining public attitudes to democracy in the UK. The project’s final report draws together the findings – from two large-scale surveys and a citizens’ assembly – and reflects on implications for policy-makers. It examines what kind of democracy people in the UK want and consider what changes in policy or behaviour may be needed in response.
Marking the report’s launch, this seminar gathered several leading figures from Westminster, together with an expert on public attitudes and members of the project team, to explore the findings and identify possible next steps.
Speakers:
- Nick Thomas-Symonds MP, Shadow Cabinet Office Minister
- Wendy Chamberlain MP, Liberal Democrat Chief Whip in the House of Commons
- Damian Green MP, former First Secretary of State and chair of the One Nation Conservatives
- Professor Maria Sobolewska, Professor of Political Science, University of Manchester
- Professor Alan Renwick, Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit
- Chair: Professor Meg Russell, Director of the Constitution Unit
Useful Links:
- Read the report (pdf)
- The Future of Democracy in the UK
- Democracy in the UK after Brexit
Mark D’Arcy recently retired after spending 21 years covering events at Westminster for the BBC. During that time he built up an unparalleled knowledge of the institution, its procedures and dynamics, with insider access to innumerable key players and a ringside seat at important political moments large and small. This conversation discussed his key reflections on parliament and parliamentary journalism, and how they have changed in the last two decades.
Features:
Mark D'arcy in conversation with Professor Meg Russell
Useful links
You can see the next Constitution Unit event here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/events/2023/nov/future-democracy-uk-public-attitudes-and-policy-options
Mark D'Arcy on the UK&EU podcast: https://ukandeu.ac.uk/podcasts/mark-darcy-on-his-career-at-the-bbc-and-how-brexit-has-changed-parliament/
The Hansard Sociey: https://www.hansardsociety.org.uk/ (we will add a link to Marks new podcast with them when it becomes available)
Subscribe to our mailing list here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/subscribe
The recent book by journalist and author Ian Dunt provides a detailed and critical account of many aspects of the UK’s political system, including political parties and elections, parliament and the legislative process, the work of ministers and civil servants in Whitehall, and the role of the media. The book analyses various perceived problems, and proposes a range of possible solutions. In this seminar Ian presents some of his key arguments, and responds to comments and questions from a panel of experts and the online audience.
Speakers:
- Ian Dunt, journalist and author
- Dr Ruth Fox, Director of the Hansard Society
- Jill Rutter, Senior Research Fellow at UK in a Changing Europe and Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government
- Professor Alan Renwick, Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit, UCL
Chair: Dr Tom Fleming, Constitution Unit, UCL
You can buy Ian's book here.
Adopting a more proportional electoral system is opposed by the Conservative Party, and by the Labour leader, but attracts growing support elsewhere. Would such reform be desirable or practical, and what might be its consequences? What might politicians wish to consider regarding other aspects of our elections, such as the minimum voting age, voter ID rules, or the reform proposals of the Law Commissions? How might any such changes be delivered?
Speakers
Cat Smith MP – Labour MP for Lancaster and Fleetwood and former shadow minister for the Cabinet Office
Lord (Robert) Hayward – Conservative peer
John Pullinger – Chair of the Electoral Commission
Professor Sarah Birch – Professor of Political Science at King’s College London
Chair: Professor Alan Renwick – Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit, UCL
This final keynote session considered the practicalities of delivering constitutional change in the round, whether under the current government, or a new Conservative, Labour, or coalition administration after the next general election. What kinds of changes might be ‘quick wins’, and which might instead take longer to deliver? How is the balance to be reached between public consultation, parliamentary scrutiny and achieving desired changes? Two senior figures with huge experience at the heart of British government reflected on these challenges.
Speakers
Lord (Charlie) Falconer of Thoroton – Labour peer, and former Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs and Lord Chancellor
David Lidington – former Conservative MP for Aylesbury, and former Minister for the Cabinet Office, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Lord Chancellor, and Leader of the House of Commons
Chair: Professor Meg Russell FBA – Director of the Constitution Unit, UCL
The issue of ensuring high standards of behaviour in public life remains high-profile following the Johnson and Truss premierships. Rishi Sunak pledged to lead a government of ‘integrity, professionalism, and accountability’ when he first became Prime Minister, while Labour has proposed an extensive overhaul to the UK’s system of standards regulation. What are the key problems in the current system, and what reforms could most successfully address them?
Speakers
Lord (David) Anderson of Ipswich – Crossbench peer, and former Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation
Dr Hannah White – Director of the Institute for Government
Jeremy Wright MP – Conservative MP for Kenilworth and Southam, former Attorney General and former member of the Committee on Standards in Public Life
Chair: Professor Meg Russell FBA – Director of the Constitution Unit, UCL
Relations between the political branches and the courts have been strained in recent years. Pushback against the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights has spilled over into determined attempts to ‘clip the wings’ of the UK’s own courts, with renewed interest in ‘ouster clauses' and attempts to repeal the Human Rights Act, against a steady drumbeat of complaint that courts have become too powerful in our constitutional arrangements. How can the damage be repaired? What should be the priorities of a future government interested in restoring the UK’s battered reputation as a rule of law-regarding nation?
Speakers include
Laura Farris MP – Conservative MP for Newbury and former practising barrister at Matrix
Emily Thornberry MP - Labour MP for Islington South and Finsbury, and Shadow Attorney General
Fiona Rutherford – Chief Executive, Justice
Chair: Murray Hunt – Director of the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law
Uncertainties over the UK’s future territorial politics are great. The SNP is in turmoil, and the UK government’s block on Holyrood’s gender legislation is being challenged in the courts. Labour’s Brown Commission has recommended major changes, and further proposals are being developed in Wales. Renewed devolution within England is on the cards. Is fundamental reform of the UK’s territorial arrangements needed? If so, what might this mean in practice?
Speakers
Dr Anwen Elias – Reader in Politics at Aberystwyth University, and member of the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales
Kezia Dugdale – Director of the John Smith Centre at the University of Glasgow, and former Leader of the Scottish Labour Party
Professor Michael Kenny - Director of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy, University of Cambridge
Chair: Professor Alan Renwick – Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit, UCL
The last few years have seen frequent controversy about parliament’s role, and the government’s openness to parliamentary accountability. Concerns have focused on parliament's ability to scrutinise primary legislation, delegated legislation, and international treaties, and on the role of the House of Lords. What are the proper scrutiny roles of MPs and peers? Do they have the opportunities and resources to fulfil these? If not, what reforms might be needed?
Speakers
Thangam Debbonaire MP – Labour MP for Bristol West and Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
Professor the Lord (Philip) Norton of Louth – Conservative peer, and Professor of Government at the University of Hull
Dr Brigid Fowler – Senior Researcher, Hansard Society
Alexander Horne – barrister, and Visiting Professor at Durham University
Chair: Dr Tom Fleming – Constitution Unit, UCL
Recent years have seen rising global concern about ‘democratic backsliding’, whereby political leaders challenge democratic norms and institutions and dismantle checks and balances on the executive. What can be done to combat these trends? In particular, how can international actors, and domestic actors such as opposition forces and civil society, work constructively to counteract or contain attempted backsliding? What is the UK’s role in such debates? In this seminar, an expert panel will discuss what we can learn from existing responses to backsliding around the world.
Speakers:
- Professor Kim Lane Scheppele, Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Sociology and International Affairs at Princeton University
- Ken Godfrey, Executive Director of the European Partnership for Democracy
- Dr Seema Shah, Head of Democracy Assessment at International IDEA
Chair: Professor Meg Russell, Director of the Constitution Unit
Useful reading:
- What is democratic backsliding and is the UK at risk? by Meg Russell, Alan Renwick, and Lisa James
- The anatomy of democratic backsliding: could it happen here? by Stephan Haggard and Robert R Kaufman
Our democratic system is not working as well as it should: on this, both the public and most experts agree. But what exactly are the problems? What are the pros and cons of the potential solutions? And are such changes feasible?
Drawing on recent Constitution Unit research into public attitudes to democracy, as well as his own work on electoral systems, referendums, citizens’ assemblies and other democratic institutions, Alan Renwick explores answers to each of these questions. Alan argues that there are no quick fixes, but that a series of changes in institutions, practices, and behaviours may lead to valuable improvements.
With an introduction by Prof Meg Russell and an appreciation by Prof Anand Menon.
Debates over standards in public life have a long history. Their evolution is partly cyclical, reflecting reactions to extended periods of one party in office. But there is also long-term growth in a belief that ministers cannot be trusted to behave well and that more formal structures are needed to check their power. Of late, the view that the abuses and challenges to institutional checks have been greater under some recent prime ministers – particularly Boris Johnson – has produced what amounts to a culture war between, on the one hand, defenders of the elected government – often citing an almost presidential mandate dismissing unelected regulators and judges – and, on the other hand, critics who would constrain or even eliminate ministers from some decisions. This debate is in danger of becoming very polarised. So where can a new balance be achieved? In this lecture, Peter Riddell will argue that the solution must recognise the legitimate rights of ministers as the elected government while also strengthening independent scrutiny where needed. Parliamentary committees should also play a more active role in holding both ministers and watchdogs/regulators to account.
Introduction by Prof Meg Russell. Response by Rt Hon Jack Straw.
Professor Sir Peter Riddell
Peter Riddell was appointed an Honorary Professor at UCL in March 2022. He has taken a long interest in constitutional issues, parliament and standards in public life, both as a journalist and subsequently in various other roles. He joined the Financial Times in 1970 after graduating from Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, with a degree in History and Economics. He served as Political Editor for seven years before becoming the paper’s Washington Bureau Chief. He joined The Times in 1991 serving as its chief political commentator until he retired from journalism after the 2010 election. He has written ten books on politics, parliament and political careers. Towards the end of his journalistic career, he became involved in other activities, initially as a trustee and then chair of the Hansard Society from 2007 until 2012, and then as Senior Fellow and then Director/Chief Executive of the Institute for Government from 2012 until 2016. He served for 18 months as a member of the Gibson inquiry into the involvement of UK intelligence agencies into the alleged mistreatment of detainees and rendition. In spring 2016 he was appointed to the independent office holder post of Commissioner for Public Appointments where he served an extended term of five and a half years until September 2021. His other public roles have included conducting a review for the Cabinet Office into the future of the Committee on Standards in Public Life and serving on the Parliamentary and Political Service Honours Committee. He has had close contacts with the academic world in various forms, notably with the Constitution Unit over more than two decades. He chaired the advisory panel of the ESRC’s Constitutional Change research programme from 2001 to 2006, is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a recipient of the President’s Medal of the British Academy.
This episode was first recorded for our sister podcast - UCL Uncovering Politics
The last seven years in British politics have been tempestuous. The turmoil has had multiple causes: Covid, Putin’s attack on Ukraine, and Trussonomics among them. But the politics of much of the period has been dominated by Brexit: by a referendum on an ever so simple question, followed by years of wrangling over what the question meant and how the answer that voters gave to it should be interpreted and implemented. Much of that contest took place in parliament. Meaningful voters, indicative votes, the Brady amendment, the Malthouse compromise, the Cooper–Letwin Bill and the legality or otherwise of prorogation – all became the stuff of prime-time television.
So what should we make of that period? And what can we learn from it – about how parliament and our constitution work, and about how they should work?
Well a new book recently published by Oxford University Press explores all these questions and many more. It’s called The Parliamentary Battle over Brexit. And its authors join me now. They are Meg Russell (Director of the UCL Constitution Unit and Professor of British and Comparative Politics in the UCL Department of Political Science) and Lisa James (Research Fellow at the Constitution Unit).
As the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement passes its 25th anniversary, uncertainty remains over whether Northern Ireland’s power-sharing institutions will be restored any time soon. Debate has intensified over possible reforms, notably to how the Northern Ireland Executive is formed and to voting procedures within the Assembly. There are also differing views over the optimal forms of North–South and East–West engagement. The UK government has a vital role in shaping Northern Ireland’s future, but trust in it is exceptionally low across all Northern Ireland’s communities. In this seminar, a panel of leading authorities will explore the question of what London’s role and priorities should be.
Speakers:
• Simon Hoare, Conservative MP for North Dorset and Chair of the House of Commons Northern Ireland Affairs Committee
• Professor Cathy Gormley-Heenan, Professor of Politics and Provost of Ulster University
• Baroness (Angela) Smith of Basildon, Shadow Leader of the House of Lords, Labour Spokesperson on Devolved Issues in the Lords, and former minister in the Northern Ireland Office
• Alan Whysall, Honorary Senior Research Associate at the Constitution Unit, former civil servant in the Northern Ireland Office, and author of Northern Ireland’s Political Future
Chair: Professor Alan Renwick, Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit, UCL
Further reading:
The Agreement at 25: A Time for Constitutional Change in Northern Ireland? - Alan Whysall
Since the 2016 referendum, the hotly contested issue of Brexit has raised fundamental questions about the workings of British democracy. Parliament soon became a public battleground for arguments about Brexit’s implementation, and the process frequently brought its own role into question – alongside that of the courts, the devolved institutions, the civil service and even the monarch. A new book by the Constitution Unit’s Meg Russell and Lisa James charts The Parliamentary Battle Over Brexit, from the initial backbench pressures for a referendum, to the arguments over the ‘meaningful vote’, the repeated defeats of Theresa May’s Brexit deal, backbenchers ‘seizing control’ of the Commons agenda, and Boris Johnson’s unlawful prorogation, up to the ultimate approval of his Brexit deal. In this event on its publication day, the authors and three high-profile respondents discussed the book’s key arguments and conclusions, including why this period was so difficult, and what if anything might need to change in the UK’s parliament and wider constitution.
Speakers
- Professor Meg Russell FBA is the Director of the Constitution Unit
- Lisa James is a Research Fellow at the Constitution Unit
- David Gauke was Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and then Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice in Theresa May’s government
- Joanna Cherry is SNP MP for Edinburgh South West, and was the lead litigant in the Cherry case in the Supreme Court over the 2019 prorogation
- Dr Robert Saunders is Reader in Modern British History at Queen Mary University of London, and author of Yes to Europe! The 1975 Referendum and Seventies Britain
This event was chaired by Professor Alan Renwick, Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit.
For more details about Meg Russell and Lisa James’s new book The Parliamentary Battle Over Brexit, and to preorder a copy with a 30% discount, see here.
Recent years have raised fundamental questions about how the UK’s democratic system functions: about the roles and characters of different institutions, about dangers of democratic ‘backsliding’, and about options for reform. Understanding public attitudes on such questions is vital, so the Constitution Unit’s Democracy in the UK after Brexit project is examining them in depth. This seminar explores the project’s latest findings, based on a major survey conducted in August/September 2022. It marks the publication in early March of the project’s third report.
Topics covered include the role of parliament, the future of the House of Lords, voting reform, the role of judges, and integrity in public life. During the seminar, key findings will be presented and discussed with leading experts.
Speakers:
Professor Alan Renwick, Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit
Professor Joe Tomlinson, Professor of Public Law, University of York
Dr Hannah White, Director of the Institute for Government
Professor Paula Surridge, Professor of Political Sociology, University of Bristol, and Deputy Director of UK in a Changing Europe
Chair: Professor Meg Russell, Director of the Constitution Unit.
Useful links:Democracy in the UK after Brexit project web pages
The Labour Party’s Commission on the UK’s Future, chaired by Gordon Brown, has published recommendations for sweeping constitutional change, including major reforms to the devolution framework and the House of Lords. What does the Commission’s report propose? What does it leave out? Could its proposals be practically implemented? If so, how might this be done? A panel of experts discusses these questions.
Speakers
Professor Aileen McHarg is Professor of Public Law and Human Rights at Durham University.
Akash Paun is a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government.
Professor Meg Russell is Director of the Constitution Unit.
Chair: Professor Alan Renwick, Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit.
Further reading:
Report of the Commission on the UK’s Future
The Future of the Territorial Constitution under Labour? The Report of the Commission on the UK’s Future by Aileen McHarg.
Five things we’ve learned about the Brown Commission on the UK’s future by the Institute for Government.
Proposals for reform of the UK’s House of Lords are in the news. In the wake of a report by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Labour leader and – if the polls are to be believed – likely future Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said that he would abolish the House of Lords and replace it with a so-called Assembly of the Nations and Regions.
This week Alan Renwick is joined by Meg Russell, Director of the UCL Constitution Unit and Professor of British and Comparative Politics in the UCL Department of Political Science. Meg is the leading expert on the House of Lords and on second chambers more broadly, having conducted research on the subject for more than two decades.
Meg gives us a primer on the House of Lords and helps answer the questions: does it need reform? What is the best way of doing it?
Associated reading:
- The Contemporary House of Lords: Westminster Bicameralism Revived. Meg Russell
- The problem(s) of House of Lords appointments. Meg Russell
From the prorogation of parliament to military action, the executive’s prerogative powers have been at the heart of some of the most heated political controversies of recent years. This seminar marks the publication of a new book and report on this little-understood but crucial topic.
Robert Hazell will explains the main prerogative powers, the successes and failures of recent attempts to regulate them, and the respective roles of parliament and the courts. Other speakers then look at specific instances of the prerogative:
Arabella Lang (Head of Research, Public Law Project) discusses the effectiveness of parliamentary scrutiny of treaties
Prof Philippe Lagassé, Carleton University, Ottawa evaluates parliamentary attempts to regulate the war making power, in Australia, Canada and New Zealand as well as the UK
Sir Peter Riddell, Honorary Professor at UCL, talks about regulation of public appointments
This seminar is chaired by Prof Meg Russell, Director of the Constitution Unit.
The book, Executive Power: The Prerogative, Past, Present and Future by Robert Hazell and Timothy Foot (Hart Publishing)
The Constitution Unit Report, Reforming the Prerogative by Robert Hazell and Charlotte Sayers-Carter.
This episode was originally recorded for recorded for our sister UCL Political Science podcast - 'Uncovering Politics'.
Questions about politicians’ behaviour have been high on the political agenda here in the UK in recent months and years.
Boris Johnson’s premiership was dogged – and ultimately ended – by allegations that he was serially dishonest and tolerated bullying and other misconduct from his inner circle. Liz Truss sidelined independent sources of expertise and presided over catastrophic policy failure. And Rishi Sunak – though he entered Downing Street promising integrity, professionalism, and accountability – appointed a Home Secretary who only six days previously had left government for breaching the Ministerial Code, installed two other ministers against whom there are allegations of bullying, and (at the time of recording) yet to appoint an Ethics Adviser.
So how can we ensure high standards of behaviour from our politicians? Can we rely simply on political accountability, and the disciplining role of the ballot box? Or do advisers, regulators, and perhaps even judges need also to play a role?
This week our host Professor Alan Renwick is joined by two real experts:
Professor Robert Hazell, who founded the UCL Constitution Unit in 1995 and remained its Director until 2015.
Sir Peter Riddell, Honorary Professor in the UCL Department of Political Science, ex- Political Editor of the Financial Times and Chief Political Commentator at the Times, Director and Chief Executive of the Institute for Government between 2012 and 2016, and Commissioner for Public Appointments from 2016 until 2021.
Related reading:
- Parliament’s watchdogs, Robert Hazell, Marcial Boo and Zachariah Pullar, UCL Constitution Unit report.
- Constitutional standards matter: the new Prime Minister must not forget that voters care about the honesty and integrity of their leaders, Peter Riddell, UCL Constitution Unit Blog.
Rishi Sunak’s agenda for government will inevitably be focused on the UK’s economic woes. However, Sunak also faces important questions about constitutional change. How might he approach his predecessors’ legislative proposals relating to the Northern Ireland Protocol, retained EU law, and human rights? How will he deliver on his pledge to prioritise integrity, professionalism, and accountability? Will his approach to the civil service differ from that of Boris Johnson or Liz Truss? This expert panel provides a constitutional stock-take at the start of the Sunak premiership.
Speakers:
Jill Rutter is a Senior Research Fellow at UK in a Changing Europe and a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government.
Dr Ruth Fox is the Director of the Hansard Society.
Professor Colm O’Cinneide is Professor of Constitutional and Human Rights Law at University College London.
Chair: Professor Meg Russell, Director of the Constitution Unit
Useful reading:
How Sunak can restore integrity, professionalism and accountability - Meg Russell, Alan Renwick, Sophie Andrews-McCarroll and Lisa James
Ministers should protect the UK’s system of constitutional guardians - Jack Pannell
Politics in the UK is in a state of turmoil. Every time we think it can’t get any crazier, it finds a way of doing just that. Many of the roots of the trouble can be found in Brexit. Whatever you think of Brexit, it’s clear that the referendum of June 2016 forced parliament to implement a massive switch in the direction of the country that most MPs thought was wrong, and split the main parties – particularly the Conservative Party – down the middle. The politics of ideology trumped the politics of competence.
This episode comes from our sister UCL podcast - Uncovering Politics and looks at a new piece of research by two researchers here at the Constitution Unit UCL, which sheds light on an important aspect of the story. It assesses just how much influence parliament had in shaping the various laws that had to be passed to make Brexit a reality and put alternative arrangements in place.
The authors of the study are:
Dr Tom Fleming, Lecturer in British and Comparative Politics here in the UCL Department of Political Science and a member of the UCL Constitution Unit,
and Lisa James, Research Fellow at the Constitution Unit and co-author of the forthcoming OUP book, The Parliamentary Battle over Brexit.
Mentioned in this episode:
- Fleming, T. and James, L., 'Parliamentary Influence on Brexit Legislation, 2017–2019', Parliamentary Affairs
- Russel, M. and James, L., 'The Parliamentary Battle over Brexit'. Oxford University Press
The next big event for King Charles after accession will be his coronation, planned jointly by the monarch, church and state. Parliament will need to update the Regency Acts to provide for additional Counsellors of State. Meanwhile several Commonwealth countries have declared their intent to leave the monarchy and become republics. Three experts come together to discuss what these developments tell us about the new reign:
• Catherine Pepinster, author of Defenders of the Faith: the British Monarchy, Religion, and the next Coronation
• Dr Craig Prescott (Bangor), author of a forthcoming book on the Regency Acts
• Dr Sue Onslow, Director of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London.
Chair: Professor Robert Hazell, Constitution Unit
Further reading:
The Coronation of Charles III Constitution Unit report by Dr Bob Morris
Swearing in the New King: Accession and Coronation Oaths Constitution Unit report by Professor Robert Hazell and Dr Bob Morris
After Boris Johnson announced his resignation as prime minister, he was widely described as leading a ‘caretaker government’. But this episode has highlighted that the conventions surrounding such governments are far from clear in the UK. What are the UK’s caretaker conventions? When do they apply? Should the existing conventions be clarified, codified, or reformed? If so, what lessons might be learned from experience in other countries? A distinguished panel will discuss these timely questions.
Speakers:
Lord (Gus) O’Donnell is a crossbench peer who served as Cabinet Secretary from 2005 to 2011, and oversaw the drafting of the UK’s Cabinet Manual.
Lord (Gavin) Barwell is a Conservative peer who worked as Theresa May’s Downing Street Chief of Staff from 2017 to 2019, including a similar ‘caretaker’ period following her own resignation as prime minister.
Professor Anne Tiernan is an Adjunct Professor at the Griffith Business School, and the co-author of Caretaker Conventions in Australasia: Minding the Shop for Government.
Chair: Professor Meg Russell, Director of the Constitution Unit
Useful reading:
- Caretaker Conventions in Australasia: Minding the Shop for Government by Jennifer Menzies and Anne Tiernan
- Chief of Staff by Gavin Barwell
- Must a caretaker government be a zombie government?by Robert Hazell
- Cabinet Manual, paras 2.27 to 2.34
The UK government has promised to introduce a new ‘Brexit Freedoms’ Bill in the current parliamentary session. The government’s aim is to make retained EU law – former EU legislation placed on the British statute book during the Brexit process – easier to amend. However, this may mean increasing ministers’ ability to make important policy changes via delegated legislation, with relatively little parliamentary scrutiny. What can we expect the ‘Brexit Freedoms’ Bill to look like? What could it mean for the relative power of parliament and ministers? What might this mean for laws and regulations that affect the everyday lives of UK citizens? This seminar will bring together an expert panel to discuss these important questions.
Speakers:
Professor Catherine Barnard, Professor of European Union Law and Employment Law, University of Cambridge
Dr Tom West, Delegated Legislation Review Manager, Hansard Society
Ruth Chambers, Senior Parliamentary Affairs Associate, Greener UK
Chair: Dr Joe Tomlinson, Senior Lecturer in Public Law, University of York
Rory Stewart was Conservative MP for Penrith and the Border between 2010 and 2019. He served in government under David Cameron and Theresa May, including as a Home Office minister and Secretary of State for International Development. As a former diplomat, he served on the House of Commons Foreign Affairs and Defence Committees, the latter of which he chaired from 2014 to 2015. In 2019, he contested the Conservative Party leadership against Boris Johnson, before being stripped of the party whip over Johnson’s approach to Brexit, and then stepping down from parliament. Among other things he is currently the co-host, with Alastair Campbell, of the popular podcast 'The Rest is Politics'.
Johnson’s premiership has been marked by various controversies about parliament. On COVID-19, the government was accused of overusing delegated powers – adding to already long-standing concerns in this area. Subsequently, some primary legislation has been rushed, and the relationship between whips and backbenchers often difficult. Most recently, the proposed fast-track procedures for amending Retained EU Law and on human rights risk further sidelining parliamentarians. How concerned should we be about these developments, and how best can parliament respond?
Speakers
Baroness (Angela) Smith of Basildon – Labour peer, and Shadow Leader of the House of Lords
William Wragg MP – Conservative MP for Hazel Grove, and Chair of the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Dr Ruth Fox – Director of the Hansard Society
Dr Hannah White – Deputy Director of the Institute for Government
Chair: Professor Meg Russell FBA – Director of the Constitution Unit, UCL
The 2019 Conservative manifesto promised to review the relationship between government, parliament and the courts. In particular, ministers had concerns about the growth of judicial review. Since then, there have been consultations on judicial review and the Human Rights Act, the Judicial Review and Courts Act has reached the statute book, and the government has proposed a new Bill of Rights. Simultaneously, some detect a ‘chilling’ effect on the courts. So, in the third year of the Johnson premiership, how much rebalancing has taken place, and what might still lie ahead?
Speakers
Joanna Cherry QC MP – Scottish National Party MP for Edinburgh South West and former party spokesperson on Justice and Home Affairs
Sir Bob Neill MP – Conservative MP for Bromley and Chislehurst, and Chair of the Commons Justice Committee
Helen Mountfield QC – barrister and Principal of Mansfield College, University of Oxford
Martha Spurrier, Director, Liberty
Chair: Joshua Rozenberg QC (Hon) – legal commentator and journalist
The UK’s ‘devolution settlement’ is unsettled. Alternative visions abound for how to achieve stability: through ‘muscular unionism’; by reforming intergovernmental relations; through wholesale federalisation; or by breaking up the Union. What is the current state of each of these options? How are they likely to develop in the foreseeable future? In so far as they are implemented, what impacts are they likely to have?
Speakers
Lord (Andrew) Dunlop – Conservative peer, and former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Scotland Office and Northern Ireland Office
Professor Laura McAllister – Wales Governance Centre, University of Cardiff, and co-chair of the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales
Sarah Sackman – Public and environmental lawyer, Matrix Chambers
Professor Michael Keating – Emeritus Professor of Politics, University of Aberdeen, and Fellow of the Centre on Constitutional Change
Chair: Professor Alan Renwick – Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit, UCL
Northern Ireland finds itself again without a functioning Executive or Assembly. All mainstream voices agree that the 1998 Belfast/Good Friday Agreement offers the only viable framework for politics in Northern Ireland in the coming years, but the risk of breakdown is severe. How can Northern Ireland’s power-sharing arrangements be restored in the coming months? How far are solutions to be found in changes to the Protocol or to the 1998 Agreement? And what role should the government in London play in seeking a healthy outcome?
Speakers
Julian Smith MP – Conservative MP for Skipton and Ripon, and former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Dr Mary Murphy – Department of Government and Politics, University College Cork
Dr Clare Rice – Research Associate, Department of Politics, University of Liverpool
Alan Whysall – Honorary Senior Research Associate at the Constitution Unit and former civil servant in the Northern Ireland Office
Chair: Professor Alan Renwick – Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit, UCL
The Johnson premiership has sparked numerous concerns about constitutional standards – from respect for checks and balances and the rule of law, to standards of behaviour among ministers, officials, and parliamentarians. A major review by the Committee on Standards in Public Life in 2021 proposed significant change. These debates take place within a wider framework of concern about ‘democratic backsliding’. How can constitutional and democratic standards best be upheld, and norms of good behaviour be maintained?
Speakers
Sir Jeremy Wright QC MP – Conservative MP for Kenilworth and Southam, and member of the Committee on Standards in Public Life
Professor Elizabeth David-Barrett – Director of the Centre for the Study of Corruption, University of Sussex
Sir Peter Riddell – former Commissioner for Public Appointments and Honorary Professor at UCL
Professor Petra Schleiter – Joint Head of the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford
Chair: Professor Meg Russell FBA – Director of the Constitution Unit, UCL
May 2022 marked the 25th anniversary of the election of Tony Blair's first Labour government. It entered office with an ambitious set of manifesto proposals for constitutional reform. These included devolution in Scotland, Wales and London, a new settlement for Northern Ireland, the Human Rights Act, Freedom of Information Act, Lords reform, regulation of elections and referendums, and a referendum on the voting system for the House of Commons. Not all of these ambitions were reached, but further changes occurred beyond 2001, most obviously the establishment of the Supreme Court. This event will look back at the Labour reforms, asking what they sought to achieve, the extent to which those objectives were realised, whether in retrospect mistakes can be identified, and what has been the lasting legacy of these reforms. We are joined by a senior panel who were closely involved from different perspectives.
Speakers:Lord (Charlie) Falconer of Thoroton is a Labour peer, who has held various frontbench positions including as Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs and Lord Chancellor 2003-07
Baroness (Shami) Chakrabarti is a Labour peer and former Shadow Attorney General, who before this was Director of Liberty 2003-16
Professor Robert Hazell was founding Director of the Constitution Unit, a position he held from 1995 to 2015.
Chair: Professor Meg Russell, Director of the Constitution Unit
In this episode, Professor Alan Renwick is joined by Senior Research Associate Alan Whysall, and Professor Etain Tannam, Associate Professor of International Peace Studies at Trinity College Dublin to discuss the implications of the Assembly elections for the future of power-sharing and the institutional arrangements in Northern Ireland.
Read further about these themes in Alan Whysall's discussion paper on the future of the institutions and blogpost on challenges after the elections, and Etain Tannam's blogpost on the existing institutions under the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.
Recent years have raised fundamental questions about the operation of democracy in the UK. Polarisation is high and many citizens feel detached from politics. The ethical standards of those in public life have been called into question. Governing and opposition parties throughout the UK have pledged to review the system’s operation. But how do ordinary citizens want democracy in the UK to work?
This seminar follows the launch on 7 April of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Democracy in the UK – the second report of the Unit’s Democracy in the UK after Brexit research project. Following six weekends of deliberation last year, the Assembly agreed 8 resolutions and 51 recommendations, proposing many changes to how our democracy works. In the seminar, the key conclusions will be presented and discussed with leading experts and some of the Assembly’s members.
Speakers:
Professor Alan Renwick, Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit and Project Lead
Kaela Scott, Director of Innovation and Practice at Involve and Design and Facilitation Lead for the Citizens’ Assembly on Democracy in the UK
Professor Catherine Barnard, Professor of European Union and Labour Law, University of Cambridge
Frances Foley, Deputy Director of Compass
Members from the Citizens’ Assembly
Chair: Professor Meg Russell, Director of the Constitution Unit
If Boris Johnson leaves office before the next general election, Conservative Party members will have a decisive say in who replaces him as party leader and Prime Minister. This prospect raises the wider question of what role ordinary members should play in party leadership elections. The UK has seen extensive variation in the role of ordinary grassroots members, as compared to MPs, in leadership contests – both between the different parties, and over time. This has previously led to some controversies, most obviously around the election (and re-election in 2016) of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader. What consequences does the role of members have for the kinds of leaders and policies that parties adopt? How should this be balanced with the role of MPs? This seminar will explore the key arguments.
Speakers:
Paul Goodman, Editor of Conservative Home and former Conservative MP for Wycombe
Cat Smith MP, Labour Member of Parliament for Lancaster and Fleetwood
Dr Tom Quinn, Senior Lecturer, Department of Government, University of Essex
Chair: Professor Meg Russell, Director of the Constitution Unit
Recent years have raised fundamental questions about the kind of democracy that people in the UK want. How do they think government and parliament should relate to each other? What role do they want for the courts? Do they want more or fewer referendums? What standards of behaviour do they expect from their politicians, and how do they expect those standards to be upheld?
These and many other related questions are explored by the Constitution Unit’s Democracy in the UK after Brexit project. This seminar marks the launch in late January 2022 of the project’s first report, which sets out the findings of a major survey of UK public opinion fielded in July 2021. In the seminar, the key findings will be presented and discussed with leading experts.
Speakers:Professor Alan Renwick, Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit
Paula Surridge, Senior Lecturer in Political Sociology, University of Bristol, and Deputy Director of UK in a Changing Europe
James Johnson, founder of J.L. Partners and former Senior Opinion Research and Strategy Adviser to Prime Minister Theresa May
Chair: Professor Meg Russell, Director of the Constitution Unit.
There are regular calls for reform of the House of Lords. The chamber is widely seen as too large, with unregulated prime ministerial appointments, and has recently been subject to renewed allegations of 'cash for peerages'. The Lord Speaker established a committee to make recommendations on controlling the chamber's size, but its recommendations have been flouted by the current Prime Minister. Boris Johnson is also the first Prime Minister to have overruled recommendations by the House of Lords Appointments Commission about the propriety of his nominees. Meanwhile, bills to end the elections which maintain 92 hereditary peers in the chamber have been repeatedly blocked. So what can be done about the House of Lords? This distinguished panel will consider the difficulties of achieving even small, incremental reforms, and whether new approaches are needed.
Speakers:
Baroness (Angela) Smith of Basildon, Labour's Shadow Leader of the House of Lords Lord (Michael) Jay of Ewelme, Crossbench peer and former Chair of the House of Lords Appointments Commission Sir Bernard Jenkin MP, Conservative chair of the House of Commons Liaison Committee and former chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC)
Chair: Professor Meg Russell, Director of the Constitution Unit.
Professor Tim Bale’s book, 'Riding the Populist Wave', highlights how mainstream right-wing parties across Europe – including the UK Conservatives – have faced challenges responding to electoral pressure from the populist radical right. How such parties respond may have important implications for everyday politics, and raise concerns about the robustness of constitutional protections, and even of liberal democracy itself. This seminar reflects on the international trends, with a particular interest in how they are affecting, and may continue to affect, the UK.
Speakers:
- Tim Bale, Professor of Politics, Queen Mary University of London
- Lord (Daniel) Finkelstein, journalist and Conservative life peer
Chair: Professor Meg Russell, Director of the Constitution Unit
Read: Riding the populist wave: Europe's mainstream right crisis
In 2020, the Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL) launched its Standards Matter 2 review to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the mechanisms to support high standards of conduct in public life. In June 2021, CSPL published initial findings from the review, and its final report and recommendations on 1 November 2021. CSPL’s chair, Lord (Jonathan) Evans, will talk about the review and CSPL’s main recommendations with Professor Meg Russell, Director of the Constitution Unit.
Parliament is scrutinising two sets of government proposals relating to elections: the Elections Bill and the draft Online Safety Bill. Some aspects of both measures have been widely welcomed, but others are controversial. Will tighter parliamentary control over the Electoral Commission harm that body’s independence? Will voter ID requirements reduce access to the ballot? Does the Bill deal effectively with complex questions concerning notional expenditure and ‘third party’ regulation? Will the proposals on online safety – much changed since they were first put forward in 2019 – enable rather than inhibit misinformation? In this seminar, a panel of leading experts and practitioners will reflect.
Speakers:
Justin Fisher, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Policy Unit, Brunel University
Laura Lock, Deputy Chief Executive of the Association of Electoral Administrators
Baroness (Nicky) Morgan of Cotes, former Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport, now Vice-Chair of the APPG on Digital Regulation and Responsibility
Louise Edwards, Director of Regulation at the Electoral Commission
Chair: Dr Alan Renwick, Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit
Dr Harshan Kumarasingham and Prof Robert Hazell (Constitution Unit) in discussion with Prof Linda Colley FBA about her latest book on warfare, constitutions and the making of the modern world.
Speakers: Prof Linda Colley FBA, Shelby M.C. Davis 1958 Professor of History at Princeton University and Dr Harshan Kumarasingham, Senior Lecturer in British Politics at the University of Edinburgh
Chair: Prof Robert Hazell, The Constitution Unit
This is a recording of a panel session from our conference on the government's constitutional reform agenda. Panellists explored the devolution arrangements in the UK and the future of the Union. Four experts based in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland joined the discussion.
Speakers:
- Prof Adam Tomkins, Glasgow
- Prof Laura McAllister, Cardiff
- Prof Katy Hayward, Queen’s University Belfast
- Prof John Denham, Southampton.
Chair: Prof Robert Hazell, Constitution Unit, UCL.
Suggested reading:
- The sovereignty conundrum and the uncertain future of the Union, by Michael Keating on the Constitution Unit blog, published 28 April 2021.
- Five key questions about coronavirus and devolution, by Akash Paun on the Constitution Unit blog, published 31 May 2021.
- The Final Report by the Working Group on Unification Referendums on the Island of Ireland, published by the Constitution Unit on 26 May 2021.
- The Internal Market Bill: implications for devolution, by Nicola McEwen on the Centre on Constitutional Change blog, published 11 September 2020.
- England, Englishness and the Labour Party, by John Denham and Daniel Devine, Political Quarterly, August 2018.
- A Parliament that Works for Wales, by Laura McAllister for the National Assembly for Wales, published 2017.
- ‘Answering the West Lothian Question? A Critical Assessment of “English Votes for English Laws” in the UK Parliament’, Daniel Gover and Michael Kenny, Parliamentary Affairs, 2018.
This is a recording of a panel session from our conference looking at the government's constitutional reform agenda. The panel discussed the government's review of administrative law and programme for reform of human rights and the judiciary.
Speakers:
- Lord Faulks QC, Chair of Independent Review of Administrative Law
- Prof Kate O’Regan, Director of Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, Oxford
- Joshua Rozenberg QC (Hon), legal commentator and journalist
Chair: Prof Catherine Barnard, UKICE.
The two-day conference was jointly organised with the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Oxford University and UK in a Changing Europe. This episode was recorded on 17 June 2021.
Suggested reading:
- How do you solve a problem like judicial review reform? Constitution Unit blogpost written by Joe Tomlinson and Lewis Graham.
- IRAL: The Panel Report and the Government’s Response, written by Paul Craig for the UKCLA blog.
This is a recording of a panel session from our conference looking at the government's constitutional reform agenda. The panel discussed why political campaigning regulations aren't fit for purpose in a digital era and how regulations should be updated.
Speakers:
- John Pullinger, Chair of Electoral Commission
- Dr Kate Dommett, Sheffield
- Prof Rachel Gibson, Manchester.
Chair: Dr Alan Renwick, Constitution Unit, UCL.
The two-day conference was jointly organised with the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Oxford University and UK in a Changing Europe. This episode was recorded on 17 June 2021.
Suggested reading:
- Why we need an independent Electoral Commission, by Alan Renwick and Charlotte Kincaid on the Constitution Unit blog, published 7 October 2020.
- The government’s electoral reform agenda: an assessment, by Alan Renwick on the Constitution Unit blog, published 12 February 2020.
- Constitutional reformers need to tackle six key questions about the regulation of digital campaigning, by Kate Dommett on the Constitution Unit blog, published 18 June 2021.
- Online harms to democracy: the government’s change of approach, by Alex Walker on the Constitution Unit blog, published 13 April 2021.
- The UK Electoral Integrity Bill, policy brief by Toby S. James, Stuart Wilks-Heeg and Alistair Clark, mentioned by Kate Dommett in response to a question on voter ID, published 2 May 2021.
- Increasing Parliamentary Accountability in Electoral Policy, written statement made by Chloe Smith (Minister for the Constitution) on 17 June 2021.
This is a recording of the final panel session from our conference looking at the government's constitutional reform agenda. The focus of the discussion was the balance of power between parliament, the executive and the courts.
Speakers:
- Dominic Grieve QC, former Attorney General
- Peter Riddell, Commissioner for Public Appointments
- Prof Meg Russell FBA, Constitution Unit, UCL
- Prof Tim Bale, Queen Mary, University of London.
Chair: Prof Petra Schleiter, Oxford
The two-day conference was jointly organised with the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Oxford University and UK in a Changing Europe. This episode was recorded on 18 June 2021.
Suggested reading:
- The public appointments system is under strain: it needs more clarity and transparency, by Peter Riddell on the Constitution Unit blog, published 16 May 2021.
- The anatomy of democratic backsliding: could it happen here?, by Stephan Haggard and Robert R Kaufman on the Constitution Unit blog, published 10 June 2021.
- The marginalisation of the House of Commons under Covid has been shocking; a year on, parliament’s role must urgently be restored, by Meg Russell, Ruth Fox, Ronan Cormacain and Joe Tomlinson on the Constitution Unit blog, published 21 April 2021.
- The government's proposed Constitution, Democracy and Rights Commission: what, why and how?, by Meg Russell and Alan Renwick on the Constitution Unit blog, published 14 February 2021.
This is a recording of a panel session from our conference looking at the government's constitutional reform agenda. The focus of the discussion was the government's review of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act and it's repeal bill: the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Bill.
Speakers:
- Lord McLoughlin, Chair of Parliamentary Joint Committee on Review of the FTPA
- Chris Bryant MP, member of Joint Committee on Review of FTPA
- Prof Petra Schleiter, Oxford
- Prof Alison Young, Cambridge.
Chair: Prof Meg Russell FBA, Director of the Constitution Unit, UCL.
The two-day conference was jointly organised with the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Oxford University and UK in a Changing Europe. This episode was recorded on 17 June 2021.
Suggested reading:
- Can Boris Johnson simply repeal the Fixed-term Parliaments Act?, by Robert Hazell on the Constitution Unit blog, published 5 February 2021.
- FTPA Joint Committee lays down marker for the future, by Robert Hazell and Meg Russell on the Constitution Unit blog, published 12 April 2021.
- Joint evidence submission by Robert Hazell and Meg Russell to the Joint Committee on the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act.
- The Draft Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 (Repeal) Bill: Turning Back the Clock?, by Alison Young on the UKCLA blog, published 4 December 2020.
- Repealing the Fixed-term Parliaments Act, by Mark Elliott in the Public Law for Everyone blog, published 2 December 2020.
This episode is a recording of the Lord Chancellor Robert Buckland QC MP kicking off our two-day conference jointly organised with the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Oxford University and UK in a Changing Europe with a speech outlining the government's plans for constitutional reform. The speech was delivered on 17 June 2021.
Suggested reading:
- All conference outputs such as videos, audio, blogs and reading lists
- Transcript of the speech by Robert Buckland, published 17 June 2021.
- The UK’s Post-Brexit ‘Constitutional Unsettlement’, by Colm O'Cinneide on Verfassungsblog (referenced in the transcript of the speech), published 16 April 2021.
- Conceptual overreach threatens the quality of public reason, by John Tasioulas on Aeon Essays (referenced in the transcript of the speech), published 29 January 2021.
- Flexing the constitution, response to Buckland's speech by Joshua Rozenberg on A Lawyer Writes, published 19 June 2021.
- Robert Buckland’s call for the courts to narrow their remit is misguided, response to Buckland's speech by Jonathan Jones on the Institute for Government blog, published 19 June 2021.
- Calls for the courts to narrow their remit are deeply troubling, response to Buckland's speech by Jonathan Jones in the Independent, published 19 June 2021.
The Working Group on Unification Referendums on the Island of Ireland published its Final Report on 26 May. The report explores how any potential future referendum or referendums on the constitutional status of Northern Ireland would best be designed and conducted.
The Working Group takes no view on whether such referendums should take place or what the outcome should be. It concludes that referendums should not be called without a clear plan for the referendum processes that would follow, and it identifies difficult issues that need to be addressed. For example, what evidence would inform the decision to call such a vote? Would referendums take place before or after proposals for the shape of a united Ireland had been developed? How would the referendum campaigns be regulated?
This webinar discusses the Working Group’s analysis and conclusions, and considers how debate on these issues is likely to develop. The webinar was jointly hosted with the Democracy Unit, Queen's University Belfast; the Trinity Centre for Constitutional Law and Governance (TriCON), Trinity College Dublin; the Institute for Irish and British Studies (IBIS), University College Dublin; and the Transitional Justice Institute, Ulster University, and includes contributions from the Working Group’s Chair, Dr Alan Renwick, and a panel of distinguished external speakers:
- Professor John Coakley, Queen’s University Belfast and Geary Institute, University College Dublin
- Sarah Creighton, solicitor, writer and political commentator
- Dr Avila Kilmurray, Migration and Peacebuilding Executive at The Social Change Initiative
- Patrick Maguire, Red Box editor for The Times
Chair: Professor Cathy Gormley-Heenan, Professor of Politics at Ulster University and member of the Working Group.
The future of the Union here in the UK – that is, the union of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland – is very much in the news. In Scotland, many opinion polls over the past year (though not so much over the last few months) have suggested majority support for independence, and political parties that want another referendum on the issue secured a majority of seats in the Scottish Parliament elections last month. In Wales, support for independence seems to have grown, though still at a far lower level. And in Northern Ireland too, there has been a rise in talk of a referendum – a referendum, that is, on whether Northern Ireland should remain part of the United Kingdom or become part of a united Ireland.
In this episode we’re going to focus on Northern Ireland. If there were a referendum on the constitutional question there, how would it best be designed and conducted? Who would get to vote? What would the question on the ballot paper be? Would there need to be a referendum in the Republic of Ireland as well? Who would work out designs for a united Ireland? Would they do so before a referendum, or only afterwards, in the event that the vote went in favour of unification?
It turns out that many of these questions haven’t previously been answered. Indeed, many haven’t been thought about very much. A landmark agreement was reached in 1998 between the British and Irish governments and most of the political parties in Northern Ireland – an agreement known variously as either the Belfast Agreement or the Good Friday Agreement. That brought an end to a quarter century of violent conflict in Northern Ireland and led to the creation of the Northern Ireland Assembly and the current arrangements for power-sharing government. It also included some provisions for a possible future referendum. But it left many questions unanswered.
Well now the Working Group on Unification Referendums on the Island of Ireland has published a major report that seeks to fill that gap. Comprising twelve academics from six universities, including Dr Alan Renwick and Professor Robert Hazell of the Constitution Unit, the group – which is impartial as to whether there should be a referendum or what the outcome should be if there is one – has looked into all the questions I just raised, and many more. It finds that referendums on this topic may be required in the coming years, but would carry significant risks. Conducting them well would be vitally important. And careful thought is needed as to what that would mean.
Host: Dr Alan Renwick
Professor Katy Hayward
Dr David Kenny
Dr Etain Tannam
Working Group on Unification Referendums on the Island of Ireland (report)
Most countries have a document call the Constitution – a legal text setting out basic principles of how that country is governed. And in most of those countries there’s a constitutional court (or supreme court) that determines whether the ordinary laws passed by the legislature are compatible with the Constitution and that strikes them down if it concludes they are not.
The UK, famously, has no such capital C Constitution – no codified rulebook. And the courts here in the UK can’t (at least formally) strike down laws on the basis that they contravene higher law.
So what kind of constitution do we have? Well, it’s often said that, in contrast to the legal constitutions found in many other countries, the UK has a political constitution – a constitution whose norms are enforced in the realm of politics rather than in the realm of law.
But many think that the UK’s political constitution is today under threat, with potentially serious consequences for the polity’s ability to serve all those who live within it.
So, ‘Does the UK still have a political constitution?’ To answer this question one of the leading experts on constitutional theory, Professor Richard Bellamy, joins the podcast. Richard, who is Professor of Political Science here in the UCL Department of Political Science, is the author of ten monographs – the most relevant of which to our conversation today is Political Constitutionalism: A Republican Defence of the Constitutionality of Democracy, published by Cambridge University Press.
Host: Dr Alan Renwick
Guest: Professor Richard Bellamy
Westminster and Holyrood have both been engulfed by scandals over ministerial behaviour in the past year. The Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL) has launched a further review, Standards Matter 2, to evaluate the institutions and processes that uphold standards of conduct in Westminster and beyond. Sir Alex Allan, former Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests, discusses the standards regime in Westminster and Whitehall; discussing the standards regime in Scotland we have Susan Deacon, former Minister for Health in Scotland, and former chair of the Scottish Police Authority; and Richard Thomas CBE, Member of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, discusses recent evidence submitted to the CSPL and PACAC on this topic.
Speakers: Sir Alex Allan, former Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests; Susan Deacon, former Minister for Health in Scotland, and former chair of the Scottish Police Authority; and Richard Thomas CBE, Member of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments and former Information Commissioner
Chair: Professor Robert Hazell, The Constitution Unit
Peter Riddell steps down as the Commissioner for Public Appointments in September. The Commissioner’s role is to ensure fair and open competition, with the final choice made by ministers. His predecessor Sir David Normington had warned on departure that changes made by government would weaken OCPA. Peter Riddell had different criticisms in his final annual report. In this valedictory talk, he will reflect on the system of public appointments, and discuss what changes are needed to provide public confidence in the system.
Democracy is what one social scientist once famously called an ‘essentially contested concept’ – one that we are never likely all to agree about. And disagreements over the form that democracy should take have lately sparked major political conflicts in many democratic countries. How far were politicians in the UK obliged to follow the so-called ‘will of the people’ as expressed in the Brexit referendum of 2016? Can the strongman democracy pursued by leaders in Hungary, India, and Brazil be called ‘democracy’ at all? And what should we make of contemporary arguments in favour of bringing more public deliberation into our democratic processes?
Questions such as these have prompted a new research project recently launched by the Unit called 'Democracy in the UK after Brexit'. Led by Dr Alan Renwick, working alongside Professors Meg Russell and Ben Lauderdale, the project will explore how people in the UK conceive of democracy and what kinds of democratic arrangement they prefer.
Host: Professor Jennifer Hudson
Guests: Dr Alan Renwick, Professor Albert Weale and Professor Meg Russell.
If the SNP win a majority in the Scottish Parliament elections in May, Nicola Sturgeon will declare they have a mandate for a second independence referendum. Boris Johnson has said he will refuse to allow one. But can he can really resist? Prof Aileen McHarg explains the legal issues; James Forsyth the politics, and the need for an alternative offer; and Dr Alan Renwick the referendum process, if the Scots are to make a fully informed decision.
- Prof Aileen McHarg is Professor of Public Law and Human Rights at Durham Law School
- James Forsyth is political editor of The Spectator magazine
- Dr Alan Renwick is Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit and Associate Professor in British Politics at UCL
Chair: Prof Meg Russell, the Director of the Constitution Unit and Professor of British and Comparative Politics at UCL
Background reading
James Forsyth, ‘A flat No to Nicola Sturgeon won’t save the Union’
Aileen McHarg, Blog on Pathways to Indyref2
Alan Renwick and the Constitution Unit's work on referendums:
Improving Discourse in Elections and Referendums
Independent Commission on Referendums
We typically divide the modern state into three branches: the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary. On a traditional view, the legislature makes the laws, the executive implements them, and the judiciary decides on disputes.
In reality, in most states, the executive in fact plays a much bigger role than that. It not only executes the will of the legislature, but also shapes the policy agenda, develops legislative proposals, and conducts a great deal of foreign policy.
And on some matters the executive can act without the consent of the legislature – even, in some cases, against its explicit opposition. Here in the UK, such powers are called prerogative powers, and they have been pretty controversial in recent years – relating, for example, to the government’s ability to suspend sittings of parliament. And they raised eyebrows in the United States too, when, on his first day in office, President Biden reversed a whole series of Trump-era policies just by signing a set of executive orders.
So what such prerogative powers exist? How do they work? And, in the context of modern democracy, should they be subject to greater constraints? This episode of 'UCL Uncovering Politics' explores these questions, and more.
Host: Dr Alan Renwick
Guest: Professor Robert Hazell
You can read more about the SSHRC-funded research project on the prerogative powers which Robert Hazell is working on here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/prerogative-powers-project
How do people in the UK view democracy? How do they think UK democracy ought to operate? What roles do they think should be played by parliament, government, the courts, and the public themselves? How do such attitudes vary across the population, and what shapes them?
The Constitution Unit has just embarked on a major new research project – Democracy in the UK after Brexit – that seeks answers to such questions. But what do we already know on these matters? What do we not know? And what can we learn from research conducted in other countries about the best ways to find out more? In this seminar, Alan Renwick – who leads the new project – will explore these questions with three of the leading experts in the field.
Speakers:
- Professor Jane Green, Professor of Political Science and British Politics, and Director of the Nuffield Politics Research Centre, University of Oxford
- Professor Claudia Landwehr, Professor of Public Policy, Department of Political Science, Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz
- Deborah Mattinson, Co-founder of opinion research agency Britain Thinks, and former pollster to Gordon Brown as Chancellor of the Exchequer and Prime Minister
Chair: Dr Alan Renwick, Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit and Project Lead for Democracy in the UK after Brexit.
In partnership with The UK in a Changing Europe two seasoned Conservative parliamentarians and the director of the Constitution Unit look back at Boris Johnson’s relationship with parliament, reflect on the highs and lows, expectations and reality, and lessons for the future.
Speakers:
- Mark Harper MP
- Lord Young of Cookham
- Professor Meg Russell
Chair: Jill Rutter
'Taking Back Control: Why the House of Commons Should Govern its own Time' is a Constitution Unit report which explores why MPs lack control of their own institution, what problems this causes, & what should be done. The Constitution Unit hosted a launch event to discuss the findings of the report.
Speakers:
- Karen Bradley MP, Chair of the House of Commons Procedure Committee.
- Valerie Vaz MP, Shadow Leader of the House of Commons.
- Sir David Natzler, former Clerk of the House of Commons, also formerly Clerk of the Wright Committee.
- Professor Meg Russell FBA (co-author), Director of the Constitution Unit, Senior Fellow at the UK in a Changing Europe, and former specialist adviser to the Wright Committee.
- Dr Daniel Gover (co-author): Lecturer in British Politics at Queen Mary University of London.
Chair:
Jill Rutter, senior research fellow of UK in a Changing Europe.
As the final part of the Constitution Unit’s 25th anniversary celebrations, we look at devolution and the Union. Devolution had a deceptively easy start in the UK, thanks to Labour-controlled governments in London, Edinburgh and Cardiff, the breakthrough of the Good Friday Agreement in Belfast, and lack of interest in England. But with the election of governments of different persuasions tensions have grown, and been hugely exacerbated by the rupture of Brexit. To chart this increasingly bumpy ride, and discuss whether the Union can survive, four academic experts, one from each part of the UK, joined the conversation.
Speakers:
- Professor John Denham
- Professor Cathy Gormley Heenan
- Professor Michael Keating
- Professor Laura McAllister.
Chair:
Professor Robert Hazell, former Director of the Constitution Unit.
Read about 25 years of the Constitution Unit: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/about-us/about-us/constitution-units-20th-anniversary/constitution-unit-25
Read the interim report by the Working Group on Unification Referendums on the Island (referenced by Cathy Gormley-Heenan) here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/research/elections-and-referendums/working-group-unification-referendums-island-ireland
The Working Group is independent of all political parties and governments and is funded by the British Academy and Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. The Group takes no view on whether such referendums should take place or what the outcome should be.
The report concludes that referendums should not be called without a clear plan for the referendum processes that would follow, and it identifies difficult issues that need discussion and analysis. For example, what evidence would inform the decision to call a referendum on Northern Ireland’s constitutional status? Would referendums take place before or after proposals for the shape of a united Ireland had been developed? How would the referendum campaigns be regulated? These are just a few of the questions explored in the interim report.
Speakers:
- Dr Alan Renwick, Chair of the Working Group and Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit
- Alan Whysall, Working Group member and former senior civil servant in the Northern Ireland Office
- Clare Salters, former senior civil servant in the Northern Ireland Office
- Martin Kettle, writer for the Guardian.
Chair:
Professor Meg Russell, Unit Director.
Full report: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/sites/constitution-unit/files/wgurii_interim_report_nov_2020.pdf
Executive summary: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/sites/constitution-unit/files/wgurii_executive_summary.pdf
There are concerns about the rise of populism and erosion of democratic standards throughout the world. Examples include countries such as Hungary, Poland and Brazil, growing support for populist parties in western Europe, and recent development in the US. Populism has grown through new challenger parties, but also through capture of previously mainstream parties.
This Policy and Practice seminar discuss these worldwide trends, how to counter them, and how worried we should be about a populist rise in the UK. Three international experts joined the discussion.
Speakers:
- Anne Applebaum, author of Twilight of Democracy: The Failure of Politics and the Parting of Friends
- Rory Stewart, former Cabinet Minister and 2019 candidate for the Conservative Party leadership, now Senior Fellow at Yale University
- Professor Nadia Urbinati, author of Me the People: How Populism Transforms Democracy
Chair: Professor Meg Russell, Director of the Constitution Unit
Further Reading
- Anne Applebaum - How my old friends paved the way for Trump and Brexit
- Anne Applebaum - How to beat populists when facts don't matter
- Rory Stewart - What is wrong with us?
- Nadia Urbinati - Populism? It’s not fascism, and also democracies Are “Elastic”
- Nadia Urbinati - The pandemic hasn’t killed populism
As part of the Constitution Unit’s 25th anniversary celebrations, this online seminar looks back at the constitutional reform agenda of the 1997 Labour government, and forward at the constitutional reforms proposed in the 2019 Conservative manifesto. What were the key questions, and motivating factors, then and now?
Jack Straw, who held senior positions in the Brown and Blair cabinets, and Professor Francesca Klug OBE, discuss the origins of New Labour’s constitutional reform programme, its implementation and its legacy. David Gauke, Lord Chancellor under Theresa May, discusses the current government’s constitutional reform proposals.
Speakers:
- Jack Straw
- Professor Francesca Klug OBE,
- David Gauke
Chair:
Professor Meg Russell
Serious books on monarchy are rare, but a new volume on Europe’s eight contemporary democracies helps to fill the gap. Does monarchy still deserve the attention of students of politics? And is the fact that most of the world’s healthiest democracies are monarchies anything more than a coincidence? In this episode of 'UCL Uncovering Politics', book co-author, Professor Robert Hazell, explores some of these questions.
Host:
Dr Alan Renwick
Guest:
Professor Robert Hazell
Find out more about the project: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/research/monarchy-church-and-state/monarchy-europe
The long-standing idea that democracy needs checks and balances is questioned in some quarters. So what is the case for checks and balances, and what are the arguments against? Should we look upon different kinds of checks and balances in different ways? And what are the contemporary tensions bringing these debates to the fore? This UCL Uncovering Politics podcast episode explores these questions with three leading thinkers on constitutional politics.
Host:
Dr Alan Renwick
Guests:
- Professor Meg Russell
- Professor Richard Bellamy
- Professor Jeff King
Conservative experts Lord Dunlop and Chris White speak at The Constitution Unit's first seminar of 2020.
The Conservatives’ 2019 manifesto commits the new government ‘to look at the broader aspects of our constitution: the relationship between the government, parliament and the courts; the functioning of the Royal Prerogative; the role of the House of Lords; and access to justice for ordinary people’. There were also specific commitments: to update the Human Rights Act; to ensure that judicial review is not abused; and to set up a Constitution, Democracy and Rights Commission.
In this seminar two Conservative experts will discuss how the new government might implement this agenda, the obstacles it might face, and how they could be overcome.
Speakers:
- Lord Dunlop, Member of the House of Lords Constitution Committee
- Chris White, former Special Adviser to Conservative Cabinet Ministers
Chair:
Prof Meg Russell, Director of the Constitution Unit