Constitution

• Features of the UK constitution:

  • uncodified (no single written document)
  • not entrenched (constitutional laws are flexible + can be altered
  • unitary (power is concentrated in one single institution)
• Sources of the UK constitution:

  • statute law
  • common law
  • conventions
  • works of authority
• Parliamentary sovereignty - principle that absolute, supreme + unrestricted power lies with parliament.
• ‘Twin Pillars’

  1. Rule of law - under the law of the country, all person, institutional + entities are equally accountable to the law.
  2. parliamentary sovereignty - parliament has the most authority in the UK.
• Codified - constitution is written down in one place, as one document.
• Uncodified - constitution is made up of several sources, some are written + some are not.
• Entrenched - constitution is protected by a ’higher court’ needing special procedures to amend it.
• Non-entrenched - laws relating to the constitution have the same status as any other laws + can be amended just as easily.
• Unitary - power is concentrated within a single body/institution.
• Rigid - the constitution is relatively difficult to amend or change.
• Federal - power is shared between institutions.
• Flexible - the constitution is quite easily amended/changed.
• Constitution - a set of rules for governing a government - purpose is to prevent the government from becoming over-powerful.