The UKCLA Blog
-
Lewis Graham: Judicial Ideology and Supreme Court Appointments
Appointing Supreme Court Justices When a vacancy arises on the UK Supreme Court (UKSC), how is it filled? And what considerations are taken into account when deciding on which qualified candidate to appoint? The answer to the first question is easy enough to answer: the Lord Chancellor convenes an ad hoc selection commission, which must…
-
Simon Karsunke: What comes next? The way forward on UK House of Lords reform
On 18 March 2026 the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill became the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Act 2026. Following one final vote on the evening of the 10th of March 2026 in the House of Lords , and after having offered additional life peer appointments to Conservative peers, the Labour government has succeeded…
-
Jonathan Collinson: A New Independent Appeals Body for Immigration and Asylum: Accountability, Transparency, and Oversight
This post examines questions of accountability, transparency and oversight in the context of the UK government’s proposal for a new Independent Appeals Body for immigration and asylum decisions, replacing the existing First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) (hereafter, FtT). It is prompted by the government’s official consultation which, amongst other things, asked: What mechanisms should…
-
Call for Papers: UKCLA Early Career Workshop in Constitutional Law and Theory, University of Bristol
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 early-career researchers working in constitutional law and theory. This workshop will provide an opportunity for participants to present their research, receive constructive feedback from established scholars, and engage in…
-
Antoinette Nestor: “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt”: Real-World Consequences and Environmental Assessment after Finch
Environmental Impact Assessments in the UK increasingly resemble We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. In Michael Rosen’s story, every obstacle presents the same catch phrase: “We can’t go over it. We can’t go under it. Oh no! We’ve got to go through it!” The Supreme Court’s judgment in Finch insists on the same approach. It makes clear that public authorities cannot…
-
Adam Tomkins: On ABJ: Proscribed Organisations, Proportionality, and Freedom of Speech
In R v ABJ [2026] UKSC 8 a unanimous Supreme Court ruled that the offence of expressing support for a proscribed organisation, as defined in the Terrorism Act 2000, is not a disproportionate interference with the right to freedom of expression under the European Convention on Human Rights. The Court’s verdict was no surprise: the…
-
Ronan Cormacain: Mandarin: Shining a light on prerogative legislation in the Chagos Islands
The British Indian Ocean Territory Constitution Order 2004 is legislation made by Royal Prerogative. Section 9 provides that there is no right of abode in the Chagos Islands. In R (Mandarin) v HM BIOT Commissioner (31 March 2026) the British Indian Ocean Territory Supreme Court ruled that section 9 was irrational and quashed it. I argue that the judgment…
-
Francesca Jackson: King Charles, President Trump and the State Visit: Some Constitutional Considerations
Buckingham Palace has finally announced that the King and Queen’s planned visit to the US will indeed go ahead at the end of April 2026. After US President Donald Trump launched a string of verbal attacks on the UK Prime Minister, there had been growing calls for Keir Starmer to cancel the King’s visit, which…
-
Chloe Reddock: A Plan 2 far?
In 2025, the Student Loans Company reported that graduates in England leave university with an average debt of £53,000, repayable with interest. Understandably, many regard this as unjust when less than three decades ago, students’ university tuition and maintenance fees were state-funded. Widespread discontent expressed by Plan 2 borrowers who studied between September 2012 and July 2023…
-
Sam Guy: Are judicial reviews in the Planning Court taking too long?
The current government has placed much emphasis on the perceived delays and chilling effects to the delivery of major infrastructure projects as a result of judicial review challenges by project opponents (framed as so-called ‘NIMBYs’ or ‘blockers’), and has introduced some reforms targeted at minimising the impacts of these challenges following an independent review commissioned by the…