Context
The newly elected U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has expressed support for adopting a written Constitution, arguing that Britain needs a clear constitutional framework alongside greater devolution of powers to regional authorities.
Explanation
- The United Kingdom has an uncodified (unwritten) Constitution, unlike countries such as India and the United States, which have a single authoritative constitutional document.
- The U.K.’s constitutional framework is derived from Acts of Parliament (statutes), Common Law, Constitutional Conventions, Judicial Decisions, and Constitutional Treaties.
- Under the principle of Parliamentary Sovereignty, the U.K. Parliament is the supreme law-making authority and can amend constitutional rules through ordinary legislation.
- A written (codified) Constitution consolidates fundamental principles, distribution of powers, citizens’ rights, and institutional structures into a single legal document with higher constitutional status.
- The debate also relates to Devolution, under which powers have been transferred from Westminster to Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, while England has limited regional devolution.
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