UK Public Law Practice Flashcards

Exactly 500 fill-in-the-blank practice flashcards about UK public law based on the lecture notes.

Public law is concerned with how the state is __________ and structured.

constituted

Public law regulates the relationship between the __________ and the state.

individual

The two main parts of public law are constitutional law and __________ law.

administrative

Constitutional law focuses on the overall constitutional __________ by which a country is governed.

structure

Administrative law is concerned with the mechanisms used to check and control the exercise of __________ power.

governmental

At a basic level, public law is concerned with public institutions, constitutional principles, and constitutional __________.

practices

In the UK, the principal executive is the UK central government headed by the __________.

Prime Minister

The principal legislature in the UK is the UK __________.

Parliament

The three devolved legislatures in the UK are the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Parliament, and the __________.

Northern Ireland Assembly

The executive, legislature, and judiciary are common to all Western __________ democracies.

liberal

The executive is concerned with making and implementing public __________.

policy

Parliament debates and enacts laws called legislation, statutes, or __________.

Acts of Parliament

Parliament approves taxes and how __________ money is spent.

public

Parliamentary scrutiny aims to get the government to explain and __________ itself.

justify

Unlike politicians, judges are __________, not elected.

appointed

Case law, or judge-made law, is found in the __________.

law reports

Courts decide legal challenges to ensure government proceeds according to the __________.

law

In the UK, the government is comprised of politicians holding office and __________ who undertake detailed work.

civil servants

The House of Commons consists of elected politicians known as __________.

Members of Parliament

The House of Lords is the second chamber and is made up of unelected __________.

peers

To form the government, a political party needs to win a __________ of MPs in the House of Commons.

majority

Judges are __________ and separate from the government and Parliament.

independent

The highest court in the UK is the UK __________.

Supreme Court

The UK government and Parliament are based in __________, England.

London

Devolved governments and legislatures were created in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland in __________.

1998

Legislatures in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland make laws within their 'devolved __________'.

competence

Due to devolution, the UK has a '__________' constitution.

multilayered

The UK Supreme Court resolves disputes between the UK government and devolved governments about their respective __________.

powers

A __________ is an idea or concept that informs human thinking, beliefs, and behaviours.

principle

There is no single constitutional document called '__________'.

The UK Constitution

The three most important constitutional principles in the UK are parliamentary sovereignty, the rule of law, and the __________.

separation of powers

Under parliamentary sovereignty, only __________ can make and enact Acts of Parliament.

Parliament

The principle of parliamentary sovereignty only applies to the __________ Parliament.

UK

Courts cannot __________ legislation as unconstitutional in the UK.

strike down

In the UK, Parliament cannot bind its __________.

successors

Legislation enacted in 2025 can be repealed by a future Parliament in __________.

2035

The rule of law means that the government and public bodies are bound by the __________.

law

One source for the rule of law is the __________ Act 1998.

Human Rights

Common law is developed __________ over time through cases and court judgments.

incrementally

The purpose of the separation of powers is to avoid the __________ of power.

over-concentration

Separation of powers creates '__________' in the constitution.

checks and balances

In the UK, the government spends over __________ per year.

$$1\text{ trillion pounds}$$

Government is politically accountable through elections and parliamentary __________.

scrutiny

Government is subject to __________ accountability in the courts.

legal

A constitution is described as a living, changing, and __________ set of practices.

dynamic

Proposals for new legislation from the government are known as __________.

Bills

If a government has a large majority of MPs, it is more likely to get its proposals enacted into __________.

legislation

Political accountability depends on Parliament having the necessary information, time, and __________.

expertise

An individual MP can put a single __________ to a government Minister in the House of Commons chamber.

question

Challenging a government decision in court involves lawyers, time, and can be __________.

costly

The formal title of the UK state is 'the United Kingdom of __________ and Northern Ireland'.

Great Britain

Great Britain is formed by England, Wales, and __________.

Scotland

England accounts for __________ of the total UK population.

$$84\,\% \text{ percent}$$

Scotland accounts for __________ of the total UK population.

$$8.4\,\% \text{ percent}$$

Wales accounts for __________ of the total UK population.

$$4.8\,\% \text{ percent}$$

Northern Ireland accounts for __________ of the total UK population.

$$2.9\,\% \text{ percent}$$

The term __________ refers incorrectly to the UK's exit from the European Union.

Brexit

The Kingdom of England existed from the tenth century to __________, when Wales was added.

1536

The Acts of Union in 1706 and 1707 created the Kingdom of __________.

Great Britain

The Acts of Union __________ created the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

1800

In 1921, the rest of Ireland (apart from Northern Ireland) became the __________ of Ireland.

Republic

There are __________ distinct legal systems in the UK.

three

The UK has experienced a high degree of institutional and constitutional __________.

continuity

The constitution of the United States was ratified in __________.

1787–89

The modern German constitution, adopted in 1949, is known as the __________ or Basic Law.

Grundgesetz

The UK has a famously flexible and __________ constitution.

unwritten

The execution of King __________ in 1649 followed the English Civil War.

Charles I

The monarchy was restored in 1660 on the basis that the Crown was __________ to Parliament.

subservient

The Bill of Rights was enacted in __________ to affirm the Crown's subservience to Parliament.

1689

Parliamentary sovereignty protected people against seventeenth-century kings who wanted to rule __________.

arbitrarily

In 2019, the Speaker of the House of Commons used a precedent from __________ regarding parliamentary procedure.

1604

The period from __________ to the 1980s was one of relative constitutional stability.

1945

The Labour government (1997–2010) enacted the __________ Act 1998 to update the constitution.

Human Rights

The Constitutional Reform Act __________ clarified the position of the judiciary.

2005

Devolution was prompted by concerns about the __________ of power in London.

over-concentration

The UK left the European Union in __________.

2020

The Conservative Party is considered __________ on the traditional political spectrum.

centre-right

The Labour Party promotes social justice, equality, and workers' __________.

rights

The Liberal Democrat Party is a centrist __________ party.

social democratic

Between 2010 and 2015, the UK was governed by a Conservative–Liberal Democrat __________.

coalition

Boris Johnson won the __________ general election to 'get Brexit done'.

2019

Elizabeth Truss served as Prime Minister for exactly __________ days.

27

The Scottish National Party (SNP) wants Scotland to be independent and in the __________ Union.

European

Narrowly, the __________ referendum on Scottish independence resulted in remaining in the UK.

2014

The Welsh nationalist party is called __________.

Plaid Cymru

Politics in Northern Ireland is split along sectarian lines between Nationalists and __________.

Unionists

The __________ Agreement of 1998 marked the end of the 'Troubles' in Northern Ireland.

Good Friday

A __________ democracy is a system based on elected and limited government and the rule of law.

liberal

The UK constitution is often called __________ because there is no single founding document.

uncodified

Section 1 of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 recognizes the __________ as a fundamental principle.

rule of law

The Scotland Act 2016 and Wales Act 2017 state that devolved institutions are __________ parts of the UK.

permanent

Common law principles encompass private law areas like contract and __________ law.

tort

Constitutional __________ are non-legal principles and norms of political conduct.

conventions

The __________ Code recognizes the accountability of government to Parliament.

Ministerial

Government Ministers must be members of either the House of __________ or the House of Lords.

Commons

General elections allow people to vote directly on membership of the House of __________.

Commons

The Welsh Parliament is also known as __________.

Senedd Cymru

A __________ enables people to vote directly on a specific policy proposal.

referendum

The 2011 referendum concerned a proposed change to the UK __________ system.

voting

The UK is a __________ monarchy, with the King as head of state.

constitutional