UK constitution since 1997 - edexcel Politics

when and who introduced devolution?

Tony Blair, 1998

what did devolution do?

• decentralise power from Parliament

• provided Scotland and Wales with greater powers to govern themselves

• allowed many towns, cities and regions to elect their own mayors

• created the Scottish parliament, Welsh assembly and Northern Irish devolved assembly

what was the impact of devolution?

• changed the idea that the UK was a 'unitary state'

• decentralised power thus creating a more democratic society

when and who introduced the House of Lords Act ?

Tony Blair, 1999

what did the House of Lords Act 1999 do?

• removed all but 92 hereditary peers from the House of Lords

what was the impact of the House of Lords Act 1999?

• increased the House of Lords legitimacy

• still lacks democratic legitimacy

• made the House of Lords a more professional body

• affected the House of Lords membership

when and who introduced the idea of electoral reform?

Tony Blair, 1997

what did the 1997 electoral reform do?

• the government tasked Rory Jenkins, the former Labour minister and founder of the Social Democratic Party, to investigate alternatives to FPTP

• the suggestion was a referendum on AV+

what was the impact of the 1997 electoral reform?

• due to Blairs striking majorities, he was less enthusiastic about electoral reform than previously

• however, the government were prepared to adopt new electoral systems for new devolved assemblies, elected mayors and regional assemblies

• some suggest that the government put political expediency before principle

when and who introduced the Human Rights Act?

Tony Blair, 1998

what did the Human Rights Act do?

• enacted most articles of the ECHR into UK law, thereby allowing citizens to pursue cases under ECHR In UK courts

• provides the judiciary with important new powers to protect and advance our civil liberties

what was the impact of the Human Rights Act?

• for the first time it positively states the rights that British citizens can claim

• public bodies are expected to act in accordance with the HRA

• when parliament legislates, it should do so, as much as possible, in accordance with the principle of HRA

• parliament has the right to appeal the act and can also enact legislation even if it conflicts with the HRA

• article 15 of the HRA gives governments the right to suspend some of its provisions

when and who introduced the Supreme Court?

Tony Blair, established in 2009 under the 2005 Constitutional reform act

what does the Supreme Court do?

• separate judicial powers from House of Lords making them 'non-political'

• Before this, the Chancellor was head of the judiciary but also a member of cabinet (the executive) and presided over the Lords (legislature).

what was the impact of the Supreme Court?

• It ended the Lords judicial function and established the Supreme Court in its place

• increased the transparency between Parliament and the courts

when and who introduced the Fixed-term Parliament Act?

David Cameron, 2011

what does the Fixed-term Parliament Act (2011) do?

• legislated that a general election should be held exactly 5 years after the last general election

what was the impact of the Fixed-term Parliament Act (2011)?

• Provided the government with greater stability, the Act made it more difficult for a PM to call a snap general election for a political advantage at a time of their choosing

• removed the traditional royal prerogative to dissolve Parliament but not the royal prerogative to end a parliamentary session

• the practical impact of the Act was therefore not that far reaching and in 2022 the act was repealed

when and who introduced a referendum on electoral reform?

2011, Liberal Democrats coalition with Conservatives on the agreement that a referendum would be held

what did the referendum on electoral reform do?

• offered the public the opportunity to replace FPTP with AV

what was the impact of the referendum on electoral reform?

• did not impact the constitution due to the outcome of the referendum not changing anything

• opponents of the AV system successfully portrayed the AV system as complicated

• low turnout on the vote

when and who introduced parliamentary reform?

what did the parliamentary reform do?

what was the impact of parliamentary reform?

when and who introduced Further Devolution?

David Cameron, 2011 and 2015

what did Further Devolution do?

• In a referendum in 2011, Wales voted in favour of its Assembly being given primary legislative power in some areas in the Wales Act 2014.

• In 2015 Wales was also given income tax-varying powers

• Further powers were also devolved to Scotland, including the right to vary income tax by up to 10p.

• the Scottish government has authority to borrow up to £5 billion.

what was the impact of Further devolution?

• decentralised power from the House of Commons

• brought decision making closer to the public

when and who introduced Elected police commissioners?

David Cameron, 2011

what did Elected police commissioners do?

• further decentralisation

• elected police and crime commissioners, would be accountable to the public for regional policing.

what was the impact of Elected police commissioners?

• widened democracy by allowing more voter choice through more direct elections

• turnout is extremely low though

• there are concerns that they lack a sufficient democratic mandate to legitimately carry out their functions

when and who introduced the Recall of MPs Act?

David Cameron, 2015

what did the Recall of MPs Act (2015) do?

• allowed constituents to demand a by-election if an MP is sentenced to prison, is suspended from the Commons for for min 10 days or convicted of making false or 'misleading' parliamentary allowances claims. - - For a petition to be successful, 10% of constituents must sign it.

what was the impact of the Recall of MPs Act (2015)?

• made MPs more accountable

• helped return power to the people

• however, act is very limited in power due to the thresholds to call a recall election are rarely met

• the power to initiate recall is not given to voters but instead to parliamentarians

• arguably means the Act has less impact on the constitution than expected

when and who introduced the decentralisation with mayors?

David Cameron, 2015

what did the decentralisation with mayors do?

• Elected mayors were duly introduced, without referendums, in 6 constituencies, and by 2022 it was 9.

• The powers of these metropolitan mayors are extensive, covering areas such as housing, welfare and transport.