In the preliminary agreement concerning the terms of Brexit, the UK Government promises to give EU citizens' rights direct effect in UK law and to make them legally ironclad unless the legislating giving effect to them is itself expressly repealed. But does the principle of parliamentary sovereignty prevent such a high degree of protection from being accorded to citizens' rights?
Tag: parliamentary sovereignty
The EU (Withdrawal) Bill: Initial Thoughts
This post looks in some detail (albeit preliminarily) at how the EU (Withdrawal) Bill works, and comments on some of the key constitutional issues that it raises. A shorter post on the Bill, which forms part of my 1,000 words series, can be found here.
The ‘Black Spider Memos’ Case: An Introduction to Constitutional Law
The "Black Spider Memos" case resulted in the publication of some rather pedestrian correspondence between Prince Charles and Government Ministers. But the Supreme Court's judgment raises some fascinating constitutional issues
The “Great Repeal Bill” and Delegated Powers
The House of Lords Constitution Committee recently reported on the constitutional issues that are likely to be raised by the "Great Repeal Bill". This post, written by Mark Elliott and Stephen Tierney, examines some of the key issues addressed by the Committee in its report.
Brexit, sovereignty, and the contemporary British constitution: Four perspectives on Miller
To say that the Miller case has stimulated a wide-ranging constitutional debate would be to engage in rash understatement. The pages of the UK Constitutional Law Association Blog, in particular, are replete with posts that examine the issues raised by the case from a rich variety of perspectives and which advance a broad spectrum of… Continue reading Brexit, sovereignty, and the contemporary British constitution: Four perspectives on Miller
Public Law Project Talk: The Limits of Judicial Authority
The legitimate extent of judicial authority is a perennial and thorny question. In this lecture, I address the question from the perspective of public law — and, in particular, with reference to the role that judges play in relation to "constitution-making".
Judicial Power’s 50 “problematic” cases and the limits of the judicial role
The Judicial Power Project has published a list of 50 “problematic” cases. It makes for interesting reading. The aim of the Judicial Power Project is to address the “problem” of “judicial overreach” which, it is said, “increasingly threatens the rule of law and effective, democratic government”. It is odd, therefore, to find on Judicial Power’s… Continue reading Judicial Power’s 50 “problematic” cases and the limits of the judicial role
Theresa May’s case for withdrawal from the ECHR: Politically astute, legally dubious, constitutionally naïve
Theresa May argues that the UK should remain in the EU but withdraw from the ECHR. Her thinking may be politically comprehensible, but does it stack up in legal or constitutional terms?
Henry VIII powers: A follow-up post
I wrote earlier this week about Lord Judge’s recent lecture on Henry VIII powers — that is, powers conferred on the executive to amend or repeal provisions in Acts of Parliament — and parliamentary sovereignty. This post briefly raises two points by way of follow-up. How many Henry VIII powers? No idea, says the Government… Continue reading Henry VIII powers: A follow-up post
Lord Judge on Henry VIII Powers and Parliamentary Sovereignty
Earlier this week, Lord Judge, a former Lord Chief Justice, delivered a lecture at King’s College London entitled: “Ceding Power to the Executive; the Resurrection of Henry VIII”. The reference to Henry VIII is to Henry VIII powers — that is, clauses in Acts of Parliament authorising the executive branch of government to make secondary… Continue reading Lord Judge on Henry VIII Powers and Parliamentary Sovereignty
