The Constitution Society

In June 2017, the Constitution Society wrote a publication entitled "Sir Thomas Legg on Government and the Rule of Law: Reflections on a Career at the Frontier"[1] This publication is a text from a talk given by Sir Thomas Legg on Tuesday 9 May 2017, for History & Policy at King's College London about his career at the judiciary, the executive and Parliament.

In light of the recent political developments relating to Brexit, the Constitution Society released a "Brexit & the UK Constitution - 2016/17 year in review"[2] This helpfully summarised key Constitution Society publications topical to current events.

In May 2017, the Constitution Society wrote a publication entitled "Entrenchment in the UK: A written constitution by default?"[3] This publication is about how the UK's unwritten constitution has changed since 1997.

Following on from the popular hypothetical paper, ‘Brexit: The Immediate Legal Consequences’, in April 2017, the Constitution Society published "Preparing for Brexit: The Legislative Options"[4] This sought to examine the government's aim to preserve EU law after Brexit.

In February 2017, the Constitution Society wrote a paper entitled "Referendums and the Constitution"[5] This paper focuses on the constitutional consequences of referenda in the UK.

In time with a new British Prime Minister taking office, in July 2016 the Constitution Society published a paper entitled "The Power of the Prime Minister 50 Years on"[6] This was an update on his past paper on the same topic, but published in 1965. Later that month, the Constitution Society wrote a paper entitled 'Talking to the Guardians' "The Constitutional Role of the House of Lords"[7] This paper is a commentary on the changing role of the House of Lords in the Constitution of the UK.

In July 2016, the Constitution Society wrote a paper entitled "Using the Prerogative for Major Constitutional Change: The United Kingdom Constitution and Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union"[8] This paper discusses the process of giving constitutional as well as legal effect to the UK's vote to leave the European Union.

In July 2016, the Constitution Society published a commentary entitled "The EU referendum and some paradoxes of democratic legitimacy", which was republished both on the Constitution Unit blog[9] and on the LSE "British Politics and Policy" blog.[10] This paper is a commentary on the constitutional problem that arises when Parliament and the electorate hold opposite views on a major national issue.

In June 2016, the Constitution Society wrote a paper entitled "Financial Privilege: The Undoubted and Sole Right of the House of Commons?"[11] This paper examines the historical origin of the Commons’ privilege, consider the provisions of the Parliament Acts and how they apply to the passage of financial bills between the Houses before turning to the subject of statutory instruments and the Executive's increasing reliance on them as a means of legislating.

In May 2016, the Constitution Society published a paper entitled "Brexit: The Immediate Legal Consequences",[12] written by Richard Gordon Q.C. and Rowena Moffatt. The report has been referenced by the UK Human Rights Blog,[13] which is edited by 1 Crown Office Row barristers' chambers. This paper focuses on the legal consequences of the UK's vote to leave the European Union and the leave vote's impact on citizenship rights.

In June 2012, the Constitution Society published a report entitled “Select Committees and Coercive Powers – Clarity or Confusion”[14] written by Richard Gordon Q.C. and Amy Street. This report analyses the extent to which select committees of the UK Parliament hold power. The report has been referenced by the Clerk of the Commons, Robert Rogers, in a Liaison Committee paper entitled “Select Committee Powers and Effectiveness”,[15] and by Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls in a parliamentary debate on the Libor scandal.[16][17]

The Constitution Society's has submitted evidence to the House of Commons Liaison Committee's inquiry into "Select Committee Powers and Effectiveness",[18][19] the House of Lords Select Committee on the Constitution's inquiry into the "Process of Constitutional Change",[20][21] and the Commission on a Bill of Rights for the UK.[22][23]

More recently the Constitution Society has submitted evidence to multiple inquiries by the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee including; "Do we need a constitutional convention for the UK,"[24][25] "Ensuring standards in the quality of legislation,"[26][27] "Mapping the path to codifying - or not codifying - the UK's Constitution"[28][29] and "Prospects for codifying the relationship between central and local government".[30][31] Written evidence submitted by the Constitution Society to the Political and Constitution Select Committee and published research subsequently used to support successful amendments tabled in the House of Lords.[32]

The Constitution Society has submitted evidence to many Parliamentary Select Committee Committee inquiries and published a number of independent research papers on matters of constitutional importance.