The UKCLA Blog
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Conor McCormick: Monitoring the Judiciary
Judges primarily decide cases, but they also make strategic decisions aimed at maintaining the constitutional authority of the judiciary as a whole. Doctrines, bundling, timing, and public engagement are among the means by which trust, arguably the most important foundation of judicial authority, is acquired and disbursed. It can be difficult to identify and evaluate…
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Adam Tomkins: Money and the Making of the British Constitution
This post is part of a series on ‘Economic Aspects of the Constitution’. The other posts in the series will be available here. When constitutional lawyers recall the Revolution of 1688 we tend to be better at remembering why Parliament wanted William III to replace James II than why William was so eager to ascend…
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Announcement: Public Law Conference: Public Law and the Future of Constitutional Democracy, Cape Town, 1-4 July 2026
The 2026 Public Law Conference will be held at the Faculty of Law, University of Cape Town on the theme ‘Public Law and the Future of Constitutional Democracy’, during 1-4 July 2026. The Conference is co-organised by the University of Cape Town, Stellenbosch University, University of the Western Cape, and University of Melbourne. The Public…
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Yossi Nehushtan and Faye Thomas: Retrospective Rule Making, the Rule of Law, and UK Immigration Policy
In this post we differentiate between two types of retrospective rule making (RRM): RRM in the strong sense and RRM in the weak sense. We then argue that both types of RRM may violate the rule of law to a similar extent, and that both can be morally indefensible, and potentially illegal. We conclude by…
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Nikos Skoutaris: Fault Lines: The UK’s Asymmetric Constitution and the Problem of Self-Determination After May 2026
For the first time in the history of devolution, nationalist or independence-oriented parties lead all three devolved nations simultaneously: Sinn Féin in Northern Ireland, Plaid Cymru in Wales, and the SNP in Scotland. Meanwhile, Reform UK topped the national equivalent vote in England. The United Kingdom’s political geography has been fundamentally redrawn. What has not…
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Dane Luo: Andy Burnham and the Constitution – The Conventions on the Appointment of the Prime Minister
After disastrous local government election results for the Labour Party, speculation has been rife about an internal leadership challenge to Prime Minister Keir Starmer. On Thursday 14 May 2026, the Member of Makerfield, Josh Simons, announced he was resigning his Manchester-based seat (formally given effect by an appointment to an ‘office of profit under the…
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Call for Papers – Extended Deadline: UKCLA Early Career Workshop in Constitutional Law and Theory
UKCLA Early Career Workshop in Constitutional Law and Theory – University of Bristol – 10 June 2026 *Final call for papers – deadline extended to Sunday 24th May 2026* Bristol University’s Centre for European and Public Law (CEPL), and Liverpool University’s Public Law Unit are pleased to announce a one-day workshop for PhD candidates and…
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Thomas Poole and Elena De Nictolis: The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026
After months of parliamentary debate, the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 (‘English Devolution Act’) received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026. The Act has important implications for the relationship between central and local government and the long-running ‘English question’ in UK constitutional politics. This post situates the Act within almost three decades of…
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![Colin Murray: Hollowing out Northern Ireland’s Post-Brexit Rights Protections in Re Dillon [2026] UKSC 15](https://ukconstitutionallaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/colin-murray-e1537817418282.jpg)
Colin Murray: Hollowing out Northern Ireland’s Post-Brexit Rights Protections in Re Dillon [2026] UKSC 15
The Good and Faithful Servants One of the foundational assertions of judicial approaches to legislation in the UK comes from Willes J in Lee v Bude and Torrington Railway Co: We sit here as servants of the Queen and the legislature. Are we to act as regents over what is done by Parliament with the…
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Gareth Evans: The Senedd Election: What are the next steps for government formation in Wales?
On 7 May 2026, the people of Wales went to the polls to elect the seventh Senedd Cymru. For a number of reasons, this was always destined to be a change election in Wales: using a new voting system to return an expanded Senedd of ninety-six members, together with significant changes to the Senedd membership…