CONSTITUTIONAL LAW
City, University of London
2016-2017
RICKY EMERY
, Contents
Introduction to the UK Constitution ...................................................................................................... 3
Defining a constitution ..................................................................................................................... 3
Nature of the UK constitution ........................................................................................................... 3
Institutional structure of the constitution ........................................................................................... 4
Historical development and sources of the constitution.................................................................... 5
Constitutional Conventions .............................................................................................................. 6
Institutions of the constitution & allocation of powers ........................................................................... 7
Government - Executive .................................................................................................................. 7
Parliament ....................................................................................................................................... 8
House of Commons ..................................................................................................................... 8
House of Lords............................................................................................................................. 8
Judiciary .......................................................................................................................................... 9
The Separation of Powers ................................................................................................................. 10
Defining the theory of the separation of powers ............................................................................. 10
Separation of powers in the UK Constitution .................................................................................. 11
Legislature and executive........................................................................................................... 11
Legislature and judiciary............................................................................................................. 11
Executive and judiciary .............................................................................................................. 12
Does the UK constitution adhere to the separation of powers? ...................................................... 13
Pure or partial separation ........................................................................................................... 13
The Rule of Law ................................................................................................................................ 14
Defining the rule of law and its historical origins............................................................................. 14
Dicey and the rule of law ............................................................................................................... 15
Criticisms of Dicey’s Rule of Law ............................................................................................... 16
Broader theories of the rule of law ................................................................................................. 16
Three views concerning rule of law ................................................................................................ 17
The rule of law and the modern UK constitution............................................................................. 18
Arbitrary and wide discretionary power....................................................................................... 18
Parliamentary Sovereignty ................................................................................................................ 20
Defining parliamentary sovereignty ................................................................................................ 20
Dicey’s definition – continuing sovereignty..................................................................................... 20
Legal basis for parliamentary sovereignty & entrenchment ............................................................ 22
Parliamentary sovereignty today .................................................................................................... 22
The EU & Parliamentary Sovereignty ................................................................................................ 23
Introduction to the EU .................................................................................................................... 23
Supremacy of EU Law ................................................................................................................... 23
EU Law and UK Sovereignty ......................................................................................................... 24
1
, Factortame Litigation ..................................................................................................................... 25
Miller [2017] case .......................................................................................................................... 25
Responsible & accountable government ........................................................................................... 27
Democracy and accountability ....................................................................................................... 27
Political accountability.................................................................................................................... 28
Public accountability ...................................................................................................................... 28
Government operations ................................................................................................................. 28
Ministerial responsibility & Conventions ......................................................................................... 29
Executive Power & the Royal Prerogative ......................................................................................... 30
Definition of the prerogative ........................................................................................................... 30
Historical development of the prerogative ...................................................................................... 30
Royal prerogative today ................................................................................................................. 31
Judicial control of the prerogative .................................................................................................. 31
Judicial review of the exercise of the prerogative ........................................................................... 32
Devolution & the local government .................................................................................................... 33
Introduction.................................................................................................................................... 33
Devolution to Scotland ................................................................................................................... 33
Devolution to Northern Ireland ....................................................................................................... 34
Devolution to Wales ....................................................................................................................... 35
Local Government ......................................................................................................................... 36
2
, Introduction to the UK Constitution
Defining a constitution
KC Wheare – Modern Constitutions (1966)
Expresses the opinion that constitutions can be classified in several ways:
• Written/Unwritten
• Flexible/Rigid
• Unitary/Federal
• Monarchical/Republican
• Legislature/Constitutional Supremacy
• Based on/Not based on Separation of Powers
Thomas Paine – The Rights of Man (1791) describes a constitution as:
‘an antecedent act of the people which creates the government, defines its powers, and grants it the
right to exercise them’
Antecedent -> constitutions are made before a countries ordinary law, upon existence of the country
Act of the people -> people = everyone legally entitled to participate in the political life of the country
Constitution gives a country legal legitimacy, sets up its governmental institutions, grants
them their powers, regulates them, defines the relationship between the citizen and the state
and describes fundamental human rights,
KC Wheare describes a constitution as:
“The whole system of government of a country, collection of rules which establish and regulate or
govern a government”
Nature of the UK constitution
KC Wheare in Modern Constitutions (1966) expressed opinion that constitutions can be:
Partially written, partially unwritten
- Conventionally written -> US, France, Germany
o US Supreme Court in Marbury v Madison (1803) -> written constitutions are drafted
with the intention to be the fundamental law of the state -> special legal status
o KC Wheare -> describes written constitutions as having special legal status
o All law must therefore be compatible.
- However, UK -> constitution is largely unwritten -> argued no special legal status
o McCawley v The King (1920) – Lord Birkenhead -> observed the UK’s
constitutional law is largely based on historic development with no special legal
status.
- Problem with written constitutions -> may not contain all necessary rules that govern the
constitutional law of a state -> illustrated by decision in Marbury v Madison (1803)
o Chief Justice Marshall ‘an act of legislature repugnant to the constitution is void’
o Not expressly written - Key constitutional principle!
- C Munro -> Unwritten constitutions never solely based on oral customs and traditions
- Distinction between written and unwritten -> not whether it is contained in a document
o Type of document used & the legal status of its contents.
3
City, University of London
2016-2017
RICKY EMERY
, Contents
Introduction to the UK Constitution ...................................................................................................... 3
Defining a constitution ..................................................................................................................... 3
Nature of the UK constitution ........................................................................................................... 3
Institutional structure of the constitution ........................................................................................... 4
Historical development and sources of the constitution.................................................................... 5
Constitutional Conventions .............................................................................................................. 6
Institutions of the constitution & allocation of powers ........................................................................... 7
Government - Executive .................................................................................................................. 7
Parliament ....................................................................................................................................... 8
House of Commons ..................................................................................................................... 8
House of Lords............................................................................................................................. 8
Judiciary .......................................................................................................................................... 9
The Separation of Powers ................................................................................................................. 10
Defining the theory of the separation of powers ............................................................................. 10
Separation of powers in the UK Constitution .................................................................................. 11
Legislature and executive........................................................................................................... 11
Legislature and judiciary............................................................................................................. 11
Executive and judiciary .............................................................................................................. 12
Does the UK constitution adhere to the separation of powers? ...................................................... 13
Pure or partial separation ........................................................................................................... 13
The Rule of Law ................................................................................................................................ 14
Defining the rule of law and its historical origins............................................................................. 14
Dicey and the rule of law ............................................................................................................... 15
Criticisms of Dicey’s Rule of Law ............................................................................................... 16
Broader theories of the rule of law ................................................................................................. 16
Three views concerning rule of law ................................................................................................ 17
The rule of law and the modern UK constitution............................................................................. 18
Arbitrary and wide discretionary power....................................................................................... 18
Parliamentary Sovereignty ................................................................................................................ 20
Defining parliamentary sovereignty ................................................................................................ 20
Dicey’s definition – continuing sovereignty..................................................................................... 20
Legal basis for parliamentary sovereignty & entrenchment ............................................................ 22
Parliamentary sovereignty today .................................................................................................... 22
The EU & Parliamentary Sovereignty ................................................................................................ 23
Introduction to the EU .................................................................................................................... 23
Supremacy of EU Law ................................................................................................................... 23
EU Law and UK Sovereignty ......................................................................................................... 24
1
, Factortame Litigation ..................................................................................................................... 25
Miller [2017] case .......................................................................................................................... 25
Responsible & accountable government ........................................................................................... 27
Democracy and accountability ....................................................................................................... 27
Political accountability.................................................................................................................... 28
Public accountability ...................................................................................................................... 28
Government operations ................................................................................................................. 28
Ministerial responsibility & Conventions ......................................................................................... 29
Executive Power & the Royal Prerogative ......................................................................................... 30
Definition of the prerogative ........................................................................................................... 30
Historical development of the prerogative ...................................................................................... 30
Royal prerogative today ................................................................................................................. 31
Judicial control of the prerogative .................................................................................................. 31
Judicial review of the exercise of the prerogative ........................................................................... 32
Devolution & the local government .................................................................................................... 33
Introduction.................................................................................................................................... 33
Devolution to Scotland ................................................................................................................... 33
Devolution to Northern Ireland ....................................................................................................... 34
Devolution to Wales ....................................................................................................................... 35
Local Government ......................................................................................................................... 36
2
, Introduction to the UK Constitution
Defining a constitution
KC Wheare – Modern Constitutions (1966)
Expresses the opinion that constitutions can be classified in several ways:
• Written/Unwritten
• Flexible/Rigid
• Unitary/Federal
• Monarchical/Republican
• Legislature/Constitutional Supremacy
• Based on/Not based on Separation of Powers
Thomas Paine – The Rights of Man (1791) describes a constitution as:
‘an antecedent act of the people which creates the government, defines its powers, and grants it the
right to exercise them’
Antecedent -> constitutions are made before a countries ordinary law, upon existence of the country
Act of the people -> people = everyone legally entitled to participate in the political life of the country
Constitution gives a country legal legitimacy, sets up its governmental institutions, grants
them their powers, regulates them, defines the relationship between the citizen and the state
and describes fundamental human rights,
KC Wheare describes a constitution as:
“The whole system of government of a country, collection of rules which establish and regulate or
govern a government”
Nature of the UK constitution
KC Wheare in Modern Constitutions (1966) expressed opinion that constitutions can be:
Partially written, partially unwritten
- Conventionally written -> US, France, Germany
o US Supreme Court in Marbury v Madison (1803) -> written constitutions are drafted
with the intention to be the fundamental law of the state -> special legal status
o KC Wheare -> describes written constitutions as having special legal status
o All law must therefore be compatible.
- However, UK -> constitution is largely unwritten -> argued no special legal status
o McCawley v The King (1920) – Lord Birkenhead -> observed the UK’s
constitutional law is largely based on historic development with no special legal
status.
- Problem with written constitutions -> may not contain all necessary rules that govern the
constitutional law of a state -> illustrated by decision in Marbury v Madison (1803)
o Chief Justice Marshall ‘an act of legislature repugnant to the constitution is void’
o Not expressly written - Key constitutional principle!
- C Munro -> Unwritten constitutions never solely based on oral customs and traditions
- Distinction between written and unwritten -> not whether it is contained in a document
o Type of document used & the legal status of its contents.
3
