Often when the term devolution is considered people automatically consider devolution to the nations of the UK and the devolution of powers that has taken place to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. However, it is also important to consider the devolution of powers that has taken place in England, whether it has been successful and whether, consequently, it should be extended. Where has devolution taken place within England? Since 1998 there have been a number of ways in which devolution has taken place in England: Devolution to London The creation of Combined Authorities and Metro-Mayors ..read more

Public Inquiries are becoming increasingly common. Public inquiries are quasi-judicial proceedings that investigate an issue, usually one that is politically controversial. The purpose of referring the issue to a public inquiry is to try to take the issue out of the political arena and allow it to be independently investigated. In recent years the number of public inquiries in the UK has grown, so what have some of the prominent ones been and how significant have they been? What is the background to public inquiries? A public inquiry is an official review of events organised by the government ..read more

The agenda in Parliament is largely controlled by the Government. Parliament in the UK is dominated by the Executive. A combination of the fusion of powers, parliament’s rules and the First Past the Post electoral, system mean that the government is able to control the parliamentary agenda. In fact, this is written into the standing orders of House of Commons. Standing Order 14 says: “Save as provided in this order, government business shall have precedence at every sitting” Labour get 20 days in each parliamentary session. What time in Parliament is given to Opposition Parties? Standing Ord ..read more

The European Court of Human Rights is based in Strasbourg, France. The European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) is an international human rights protocol to which Britain is a signatory. Indeed, Britain was a founding member of the ECHR in 1949. In 1959, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) was founded to adjudicate on potential breaches of the ECHR. This court has jurisdiction for enforcing the human rights standards of human rights across the member states. Increasingly in Britain, discussion about leaving the European Convention of Human Rights has emerged with the idea of replacing ..read more

The House of Lords is the Upper Chamber of the UK Parliament. The House of Lords is the Second Chamber of the UK Parliament and is often called an ‘amending’ or ‘revising’ chamber. It plays a significant role in legislation and therefore how someone becomes a member of the House of Lords is an important question. It is also a question which is often mired in political sleaze and scandal. So, how does someone become a Member of the House of Lords and how effective is this process? What are the different types of peer? Members of the House of Lords can be broadly split into two categories: The A ..read more

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PMQ’s is the showpiece event of the parliamentary week. Prime Minister’s Questions is a divisive topic. On the face of it, it shows Parliament at its worst: raised voices, orchestrated heckling and debatable focus on answering the questions posed. However, it is the only time that the Prime Minister can ordinarily be held directly accountable to the elected representatives of the people. Other major democracies such as the US and France have no equivalent event. Indeed, the countries that do are often those, like Canada, which come from the Westminster tradition. There is a constitutional reas ..read more

The UK legislative process is more straightforward than it first appears. The UK legislative process is relatively straightforward. Whilst the House of Commons has primacy over the House of Lords, the process that a bill goes through under normal circumstances is the same in both houses. This article seeks to outline some of the key issues in the legislative process and go through the different stages that a bill has to advance through in order to become an Act of Parliament. It will also address some other questions that might be of interest. What is the difference between Serial and Parallel ..read more

The Hybrid Parliament saw screens erected in the chamber to allow MPs to participate remotely. Just like everywhere workplace, the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the way Parliament operated. For example, MPs were able to contribute to debates remotely, with big screens erected around the Chamber of the House of Commons and Lords to create a hybrid environment. During COVID-19 another significant change was the introduction of electronic voting. Whilst innovative for the UK Parliament, this is routinely used elsewhere, for example in the Scottish Parliament. So how do MPs and Lor ..read more

Gina Martin (right) with a friend at the festival. In 2017 a girl called Gina Martin was at a gig with her friends and family. It was a hot day and she was wearing a skirt. During the gig, two men put a mobile phone between her legs and took a picture of her crotch. This act, which is known as ‘upskirting’, was done entirely without her consent. Martin reported it the the Police, but, to her shock, was told that no law had been broken and the men involved could not be arrested. There was a law of ‘outraging public decency’, but the alleged offence did not meet the criteria. Had the man made an ..read more