change to the UK constitution

• Types of changes to the constitution

  • Modernisation
  • Stronger rights protection
  • Democratisation
  • Decentralisation
  • Transparency
• House of Lords

  • Abolition of voitng rights for most hereditary peers
  • 1999 House of Lords Act - reduced hereditary peers to 92
  • Done under Blair's Labour
• House of Commons

  • Limited changes to the select committee system -> 2010 - members elected by the whole commons, previously only by leaders, more whips, chairs allocated to parties in proportion to HoC makeup
  • Fixed term parliaments, although not entrenched
  • New control for backbenchers over Commons agenda - Backbench Business Committee (est. 2010) able to bring business before the House
• Electoral reform

  • Intro of new electoral systems for the Scottish Parliament (AMS), Welsh (AMS), Northern Ireland (STV) and Greater London Assemblies (AMS), and elected mayors (SV)
  • Under Blair's Labour
• HRA

  • Effective from 2000, inclusion of the ECHR into British law
  • ECHR made binding on all public bodies
  • UK courts given power to enforce when relevant
  • No loss of parliamentary sovereignty - can reapeal HRA at any time e.g. 2015 Conservatve manifesto for British bill of rights and Raab in 2022
  • Under Blair's Labour
• FoI Act

  • Introduction of freedom of information, effective from 2005
  • Public right to see official documents
  • Security services exempt from the Act, government able to conceal information it feels may prejudice government activity
  • Can be signficiant - e.g. 2009 Expenses Scandal
• City government

  • Intro of an elected mayor and assembly for Greater London
  • Devolution of powers of health and social care to the Manchester mayor and government
• Local government

  • Introduction of a cabinet system in local government, and the opportunity for elected mayors through referendum
• Devolution

  • Transfer of power from Westminister to elected bodies and governments in Scotland, Wales and NI
  • Under Blair's Labour
• Party registration and the Electoral Commission

  • Electoral Commission set up to regulate elections, referendums and party funding
  • 2001 - created after the Political Parties, Elections, and Referendums Act of 2000
  • Responsible for party regulation and the registration of political parties
  • Under Blair's Labour
• Reform of the judiciary

  • Political office of the Lord Chancellor abolished - no longer head of the judiciary or HoC speaker
  • Replaces with the Justice Minister
  • 2005 Constitutional Reform Act - established a SC (replacing the HoL repeals court) and separated the judiciary from the gov
• Fixed-term Parliament

  • The 2011 Act - removed the PM's power to determine the date of general elections, except for extraordinary circumstances e.g. a vote of no confidence
  • Post 2010 coalition
• Recall of MPs Act

  • If an MP is imprisoned/suspended from the House of Commons for misbehvaiour, a petition signed by 10% of voters in their constituency can trigger a by-election
• The EU

  • 2016 Brexit referendum
• Limits to Parliamentary change

  • AV 2011 referendum rejected so problems with FPTP not addressed
  • HoL still has hereditary peers, arguments for abolishing the chamber (e.g. Starmer wishes to replace with an elected chamber)
  • 2011 Act allows a PM to call a general election after a vote of no confidence e.g. May
• Rights of Individuals (FoI and HRA)

  • HRA thought of as too weak by activists
  • Not entrenched - call for a Bill of Rights by Sir Peters and the 2015 Conservative Manifesto
  • However, FoI enjoys success - 2008 MPs tried to block the release of their funds but High Court struck this down. As a result 6 MPs and 2 peers faced prison time
• Electoral reform

  • Slow pace of electoral reform since Blair’s Labour
  • Since 2022, the only electoral reform made has been the use of SV for mayoral elections and city and regional officials 
  • Rejection of AV method in the 2011 election