The Constitution Society is an independent, non-party educational trust based near Westminster, England. It was established in 2009 to promote public understanding of the British Constitution and to work to encourage informed debate between legislators, academics and the public about proposals for constitutional change. The Constitution Society does not take any position on the merits of specific reform proposals, and neither endorses nor opposes the introduction of a written constitution.
History
The Constitution Society was founded in 2009 by Nat le Roux. It has since grown rapidly in interest and membership, and in 2017 Sir Malcolm Jack was appointed as the first President of the Constitution Society.
Aims
Though neutral about substantive constitutional issues, the Constitution Society strongly supports due process and good government and believes that constitutional change should only be introduced to address genuine deficiencies, and only after careful analysis and broad consultation.
Publications
Notable publications
In June 2017, the Constitution Society wrote a publication entitled This publication is a text from a talk given by Sir Thomas Legg on Tuesday 9 May 2017, for History & Policy at King's College London about his career at the judiciary, the executive and Parliament. In light of the recent political developments relating to Brexit, the Constitution Society released a This helpfully summarised key Constitution Society publications topical to current events. In May 2017, the Constitution Society wrote a publication entitled This publication is about how the UK's unwritten constitution has changed since 1997. Following on from the popular hypothetical paper, ‘’, in April 2017, the Constitution Society published This sought to examine the government's aim to preserve EU law after Brexit. In February 2017, the Constitution Society wrote a paper entitled This paper focuses on the constitutional consequences of referenda in the UK. In time with a new British Prime Minister taking office, in July 2016 the Constitution Society published a paper entitled This was an update on his past paper on the same topic, but published in 1965. Later that month, the Constitution Society wrote a paper entitled This paper is a commentary on the changing role of the House of Lords in the Constitution of the UK. In July 2016, the Constitution Society wrote a paper entitled This paper discusses the process of giving constitutional as well as legal effect to the UK's vote to leave the European Union. In July 2016, the Constitution Society published a commentary entitled , which was republished both on the Constitution Unit blog and on the LSE "British Politics and Policy" blog. This paper is a commentary on the constitutional problem that arises when Parliament and the electorate hold opposite views on a major national issue. In June 2016, the Constitution Society wrote a paper entitled This paper examines the historical origin of the Commons’ privilege, consider the provisions of the Parliament Acts and how they apply to the passage of financial bills between the Houses before turning to the subject of statutory instruments and the Executive's increasing reliance on them as a means of legislating. In May 2016, the Constitution Society published a paper entitled "Brexit: The Immediate Legal Consequences", written by Richard Gordon Q.C. and Rowena Moffatt. The report has been referenced by the UK Human Rights Blog, which is edited by . This paper focuses on the legal consequences of the UK's vote to leave the European Union and the leave vote's impact on citizenship rights. In June 2012, the Constitution Society published a report entitled “Select Committees and Coercive Powers – Clarity or Confusion” written by Richard Gordon Q.C. and Amy Street. This report analyses the extent to which select committees of the UK Parliament hold power. The report has been referenced by the Clerk of the Commons, Robert Rogers, in a Liaison Committee paper entitled “Select Committee Powers and Effectiveness”, and by Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls in a parliamentary debate on the Libor scandal.
Select Committee evidence submissions
The Constitution Society's has submitted evidence to the House of Commons Liaison Committee's inquiry into "Select Committee Powers and Effectiveness", the House of Lords Select Committee on the Constitution's inquiry into the "Process of Constitutional Change", and the Commission on a Bill of Rights for the UK. More recently the Constitution Society has submitted evidence to multiple inquiries by the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee including; "Do we need a constitutional convention for the UK," "Ensuring standards in the quality of legislation," "Mapping the path to codifying - or not codifying - the UK's Constitution" and "Prospects for codifying the relationship between central and local government". Written evidence submitted by the Constitution Society to the Political and Constitution Select Committee and published research subsequently used to support successful amendments tabled in the House of Lords. The Constitution Society has submitted evidence to many Parliamentary Select Committee Committee inquiries and published a number of independent research papers on matters of constitutional importance.
