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UK Constitution - Coggle Diagram
UK Constitution
Sources of the UK Constitution
Statute Law
Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949 which reduces the Lord's power to only being able to veto a law for 2 years
Human Rights Act 1998 incorporates ECHR into UK law
Scotland Act 1998 devolved powers to Holyrood
Common Law
Legal principles established through past judicial decisions
Convention
Unwritten rules of political and legal conduct, not enforceable but is usually followed
Examples of Conventions include how the PM must be an MP and Collective Ministerial Responsibility
Works of authority
EU laws and treaties
Like ECHR
Principles of the UK Constitution
Parliamentary soverignty
Rule of Law
Separations of Powers
Constitutional Monarchy
Democracy
Nature of the UK constitution
Uncodified
There isn't a written document unlike the US
This aids flexibility but reduces transparency
Unentrentched
The constitution can be easily changed by Acts of Parliament and there isn't a special procedure for constitutional change
This enables responsive governance but lacks strong rights protection without international treaties
Unitary
Power is centralised in Westminster and devolution is limited
Constitutional Monarchy and Parliamentary Sovereignty
The Monarch is symbolic and Parliament = Supreme legal authority
Recent Reforms
Labour Reforms
Introduction of the Supreme Court
Human Rights Act 1998 brought the UK in line with the ECHR
Coalition Reforms
AV Referendum lost to 67%
Conservative Reforms
EU Referendum and Brexit Legislation