Law ending exclusively male royal succession now law – BBC News
“A bill which ends succession to the Crown based on gender has become law.”
BBC News, 25th April 2013
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: constitutional law
Dame Julie Mellor – Constitutional Role of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman – UCL Constitution Unit
“Dame Julie Thérèse Mellor, DBE was appointed as Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration and the Health Service Commissioner for England (Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman) in January 2012.
The Ombudsman is mandated to consider complaints that public bodies have not acted fairly. As a watchdog body independent of government and accountable to Parliament, its constitutional role is delicate and complex. Dame Julie will discuss that role, and how best the Ombdusman can maximize its independence and impact as a check on executive power.”
UCL Constitution Unit, 23rd April 2013
Source: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Margaret Thatcher and the Constitution – UK Human Rights Blog
“The consequences of Margaret Thatcher’s administration have been long lasting. In many areas of national life Thatcher took the British Bulldog by the scruff of the neck and house-trained it. In the context of the constitution her impact was no less significant.”
UK Human Rights Blog, 10th April 2013
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
Craig Prescott: The Union, Constitutional Change and Constitutional Conventions (and English Regionalism?) – UK Constitutional Law Group
“Last week, the House of Commons Political and Constitutional Reform Committee published their report, Do We Need A Constitutional Convention For the UK? (HC 2012-13 371). It is an interesting document, mainly because its very existence shows that the idea of a constitutional convention is becoming more mainstream within Westminster. But the report raises many questions, not all of which are fully answered. The central thrust of the report is that considering the raft of changes made to the constitution since 1997, particularly devolution, ‘it is time to conduct a comprehensive review so that the Union can work well in the future’ (para 111), and that this review should take the form of a ‘constitutional convention to look at the formal constitutional structure of the UK’.”
UK Constitutional Law Group, 3rd April 2013
Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org
Mike Gordon: Ministerial Responsibility After Huhne – UK Constitutional Law Group
“Does the Chris Huhne affair have constitutional implications? In one sense, the answer to this question might be a rather obvious one. From a constitutional perspective – although certainly not from a political perspective – the case seems relatively uncontroversial.”
UK Constitutional Law Group, 25th March 2013
Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org
Whistleblowing, forgotten children and the legal future of Wales –
“Joining us this week is Theo Huckle QC, the chief legal officer of Wales who – controversially – says it’s ‘inevitable’ that Wales will become a separate legal jurisdiction. Are centuries of legal union with England really coming to an end?”
BBC Law in Action, 19th February 2013
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Sir Leigh Lewis KCB – Prospects for a British Bill of Rights – UCL Constitution Unit
“The Commission on a Bill of Rights was established in March 2011 and mandated to investigate the creation of a UK Bill of Rights which draws upon current ECHR obligations. On 18 December 2012, the Commission published its report. Seven of the nine committee members advocated the creation of a UK Bill of Rights, while the two dissenting members have voiced concerns that a Bill could be used as a means of decoupling the UK from the ECHR. The Commission’s Chair, Sir Leigh Lewis KCB, will discuss the report’s findings and likely impact.”
UCL Constitution Unit, 26th January 2013
Source: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
What lies beneath the Commission on a Bill of Rights report – UK Human Rights report
“Don’t be fooled! We have been led to believe there was a two-way split on the government-appointed Bill of Rights Commission, which published its report on Tuesday, but the split was at least three-way. The Commissioners tell us that ‘it [was] not always easy to disentangle in the opinions expressed to [them] what are tactical positions rather than fundamental beliefs’. The same must surely be said of the report’s seven ‘majority’ authors.”
UK Human Rights Blog, 20th December 2012
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
Baroness D’Souza – The Role of the House of Lords in the Parliamentary Process – UCL Constitution Unit
“Looking above and beyond current debates about the House of Lords’ composition, Baroness D’Souza will discuss the Lords in terms of its place in the parliamentary process. Having now been in post for over a year, Baroness D’Souza will present her vision for the Lords’ future, its contribution to the political system, changes to its working practices and the role of the Lord Speaker. She will also cover public perceptions of the Upper House and the importance of outreach.”
UCL Constitution Unit, 14th December 2012
Source: ww.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit
Supreme court becomes a constitutional animal – The Guardian
“A recent case concerning Welsh byelaws saw the UK’s highest court acting as a constitutional court.”
The Guardian, 28th November 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Do Human Rights Make Bad Citizens? – Lord Justice Laws
Do Human Rights Make Bad Citizens? (PDF)
Lord Justice Laws
Northumbria University, Inaugural Lecture 2012
Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk
Regina (ToTel Ltd) v First-tier Tribunal (Tax Chamber) and another – WLR Daily
“A taxpayer was entitled to appeal from the First-tier Tribunal to the Upper Tribunal against a decision that it would not suffer hardship if required to pay assessed value added tax before an appeal against the assessment could be heard. The right of appeal against hardship decisions had not been abolished by section 84(3C) of the Value Added Tax Act 1994 as the insertion of section 84(3C) by paragraph 221(5) of Schedule 1 to the Transfer of Tribunal Functions and Revenue and Customs Appeals Order 2009 was ultra vires section 124 of the Finance Act 2008.”
WLR Daily, 31st October 2012
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
No removal of right of appeal without clear and express wording – UK Human Rights Blog
“Tax litigation is not the most obvious hunting ground for human rights points but if claimants feel sufficiently pinched by what they perceive as unfair rules, there is nothing to stop them appealing to the courts’ scrutiny of the lawfulness of those rules.”
UK Human Rights Blog, 1st November 2012
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
Prisoner votes: Strasbourg should give way to national independence – The Guardian
“The constitutional crisis predicted for years by Professor Vernon Bogdanor is upon us. He warned that the human rights reforms of the 1990s created a potential conflict between the sovereignty of parliament and the rule of law. ‘What happens if there is a clash between the two principles?’ he asked in his Magna Carta lecture of 2006. A very senior judge to whom he had posed the conundrum had replied ‘That is a question that ought not to be asked.'”
The Guardian, 29th October 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Prince Charles and the curious case of the Black Spider Letters – UK Human Rights Blog
“Litigation relating to information rights can sometimes seem very dry and obscure, entailing lengthy analysis of the merits of public authorities disclosing or withholding information which is highly specialised or obtuse, and of little real interest to the general population. But this case – the case of the ‘Black Spider Letters’ – really is a fascinating one, involving an examination not just of the legislative provisions relating to the disclosure of information, but also a consideration of the existence and extent of constitutional conventions pertaining to the role of the monarchy in government. At the same time, it has the potential to generate such controversy as to make for perfect tabloid fodder. It has been the subject of international news coverage. And it’s not over yet.”
UK Human Rights Blog, 23rd October
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
The Supreme Court in the UK Constitution – Speech by Rt Hon the Baroness Hale of Richmond
The Supreme Court in the UK Constitution (PDF)
Speech by Rt Hon the Baroness Hale of Richmond
Legal Wales 2012
Source: www.supremecourt.gov.uk
Jamaica’s London appeal court dilemma – BBC News
“Jamaica is celebrating the 50th anniversary of independence from Britain next week. The government in Kingston is talking about becoming a republic and is also looking at ending a legal legacy of the British Empire.”
BBC News, 3rd August 2012
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Warnings over abduction treaty – BBC News
“An international treaty designed to ensure the swift return of children abducted abroad by a parent needs to be implemented faster, researchers say.”
BBC News, 22nd July 2012
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
The Good Constitution: Sir David Williams Lecture – Speech by Lord Justice Laws
The Good Constitution (PDF)
Speech by Lord Justice Laws
Sir David Williams Lecture, 4th May 2012
Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk
