Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Key Milestones in the Development of the Constitution (The Parliament Acts…
Key Milestones in the Development of the Constitution
The Magna Carta - 1215
Agreement between King John and the barons, who had rebelled against the abuse of royal power. Largely a concession to specific demands of the nobility. It remains a powerful symbol of English liberties.
The Magna Carta stated the principle that no one should be deprived of liberty or property without due process of law.
The Bill of Rights - 1689
Passed by parliament in reaction to the arbitrary rule of King James II, who was driven from the throne in the 'Glorious Revolution'. His successors - William III and his wife Mary II - affirmed the rights of parliament when they accepted the throne.
The Bill of Rights included provisions for: regular parliaments; free elections; and freedom of speech within parliament.
The Act of Settlement - 1701
Motivated by a desire to exclude James II and his heirs from the throne. At the time their adherence to the Catholic religion was widely associated with tyrannical rule.
The act established the right of parliament to determine the line of succession to the throne.
The Acts of Union - 1707
United England and Scotland, which had a shared monarch since 1603 but had retained two separate parliaments. Both countries were now placed under one parliament based in Westminster.
This was the basis of the UK until Tony Blair's new Labour government passed legislation to set up a Scottish parliament once again in 1997.
The Parliament Acts - 1911,1949
1911 act affirmed that the Lords could not delay money bills. For non-financial bills, the power of veto was replaced with a two-year delaying period.
1949 act reduced this delaying period to one year.
Reduced the power of the House of Lords to interfere with the agenda of the House of Commons. The 1911 act was provoked by the action in the Lords rejecting the radical tax-raising 'People's Budget', introduced by the Liberal chancellor of the exchequer, David Lloyd George.
The European Communities Act - 1972
Passed by Edward Heath's Conservative government, the act took Britain into the European Economic Community, the EU.
Established the principle that EU law would take precedence over UK law where a conflict occurred.