Lisa James

Good thread on what looks like a rather unusual appointment process all round 👇

YouTube video by Cambridge Law Faculty Reflections on the Brexit Revolution: 2025-26 Mackenzie-Stuart Lecture

I did a lecture on the impact of Brexit on British politics. Watch it here if you're really bored www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztqL...

The government must explain and defend its grooming gang inquiry decisions | Institute for Government Some disagreement when setting up an inquiry isn’t necessarily bad – but how it is handled matters.

New @instituteforgovernment.org.uk comment from me

The chaos surrounding the grooming gangs inquiry last week highlights much deeper problems with the way the government sets up public inquiries

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/groo...

A welcome clarification on the rules ‘gagging’ civil servants | Institute for Government New guidance on civil servants speaking in public is a welcome return to common sense.

Some - cautious - good news on the govt’s civil service gagging rules

Nick Thomas-Symonds has written to us rowing back on the worst aspects: “it is important for civil servants to speak in public about matters for which they have responsibility”

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/welc...

How does politics work in Northern Ireland? Politics in Northern Ireland has long been dominated by two alternative constitutional visions: remaining part of the United Kingdom, or unifying with Ireland. In this post – part of the Unit’s new and updated briefing series on key constitutional topics – Lisa James, Conor J. Kelly and Alan Renwick discuss Northern Ireland’s distinctive politics and political structures, and explain the UK government’s role in supporting long-term stability.

NEW BLOG: How does politics work in Northern Ireland?

@lisajames.bsky.social, @conorjkelly.bsky.social and @alanrenwick.bsky.social explain Northern Ireland's politics and political structures, including power-sharing, the impact of Brexit and debates over Northern Ireland's future.

The Constitution Unit. Do the government's electoral reforms go far enough? 24 October 2025, 1:00pm–2:00pm. Cat Smith MP (Labour MP for Lancaster and Wyre). Rose Whiffen (Senior Research Officer at Transparency International UK). Tom Hawthorn (Head of Policy at the Electoral Commission). Prof David Howarth (Professor of Law and Public Policy at the University of Cambridge and former Electoral Commissioner). Chair: Prof Alan Renwick (Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit).

Does the elections white paper go far enough?

Next Friday, join @catsmithmp.bsky.social, @rosewhiff.bsky.social, Tom Hawthorn and David Howarth at our free, online event to consider if the government's plans are sufficient to ensure electoral integrity.

Sign up 👉 www.ucl.ac.uk/social-histo....

The UCL Constitution Unit has an excellent briefing series on UK politics that is perfect for students of all ages and levels. The latest release includes a briefing on #NorthernIreland, which I co-authored.

Read it for free here: www.ucl.ac.uk/social-histo...

@conunitucl.bsky.social

We've updated all our briefings - explaining how key parts of the constitution work, and why they matter to a healthy democracy.

Want to know how the territorial constitution works? What the UK's constitutional regulators do? Or why the quality of political discourse matters? We have you covered.

Giving this talk tmr!

Ministerial Code Ministerial Code setting out the standards of conduct expected of ministers and how they discharge their duties.

We have an updated ministerial code! The new code makes clear that ministers "are expected" to pay back any severance payment if they quickly get a new ministerial job or are found to have broken the rules on post-government jobs

www.gov.uk/government/p...

Really enjoyed this piece.

"Lawyers and academics therefore find themselves in the difficult position of ... trying to reason people away from a view or belief they never reasoned themselves into to begin with. We are bringing facts to a vibes fight."

1/ Concerns are rising in Westminster over the Chagos deal and the UK’s trade agreements with the US, EU & India.

If we want better economic, trade and foreign-policy decisions, MPs need the tools – and the will – to hold government to account. 👇

Really looking forward to chairing this event on the scrutiny of international agreements next week - a timely topic, always fascinating, and a great opportunity to discuss (among other things) the new report on treaty scrutiny by the @houseoflords.parliament.uk International Agreements Committee

Thoughts from me on the UK government's elections policy paper.

In short: many good things, but several points don't go far enough, and there is one big mistake.

The European Convention on Human Rights and the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement - UK in a changing Europe This explainer examines the relationship between the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and the European Convention on Human Rights. It explores the role that...

Correcting the reports.

UK withdrawal from the ECHR absolutely breaches the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.

ukandeu.ac.uk/explainers/t...

Assisted dying: what happens now the House of Lords has the bill? Peers would be on dicey political ground if they tried to stop the bill passed by MPs – but they may run into problems over timing.

The assisted dying bill begins its substantive Lords scrutiny this Friday.

Re-posting my piece on what we should expect now that the Lords has the bill. theconversation.com/assisted-dyi...

#assisteddyingbill

This is vile. I cannot see how anyone on the left at this time could think intimidating think tank workers and vandalising their workplace for having different politics is legit.

This isn’t liberal. This isn’t democratic. This is, simply, wrong and should be condemned as such.

I have some good news for election nerds - "The British General Election of 2024" will be out this autumn, and if you're quick you can grab a 25% pre-order discount from Waterstone's by ordering your copy by 31st July, just enter code SUMMER25 www.waterstones.com/book/the-bri...

Hybrid bills: Parliament’s role in delivering major infrastructure | Institute for Government How to improve the hybrid bill legislative process.

How can government legislate better to deliver major infrastructure projects? Fantastic new paper from @instituteforgovernment.org.uk on how to improve the little-known hybrid bill procedure! www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...

The latest edition of our regular constitutional review is now available!

Monitor 90 describes this government's constitutional reform scorecard as 'mixed'. It says that much remains to be done and progress in some areas has been disappointing.

Read it 👉 www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution....

Today the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill is set to have its second day of report stage in the Lords.

We will mainly be looking out for amendment 23, from Crossbencher Lord (Terry) Burns. This would cap the chamber's size at 650 and limit prime ministerial appointments.

A thread 👇

House of Commons procedure: why does it matter and how does it change? House of Commons procedure combines formal rules with conventions and precedents, providing the framework for conducting business and making decisions. Hannah Kelly, Lisa James and Meg Russell expl…

House of Commons procedure: why does it matter and how does it change?

@hannahkelly.bsky.social, @lisajames.bsky.social and Meg Russell explain that House of Commons procedure provides a roadmap for decision-making and helps to set the balance of power between different actors.

Read it 👇

There’s been progress in some areas, particularly on governance within England. But elsewhere, movement has so far been slow - and on some topics, like Lords reform, the government seems to be dialling down its ambitions. Plenty more to do in the remaining years of this parliament.

Labour and the constitution: (almost) one year on The Constitution Unit’s annual conference takes place next week, bringing together a wide range of speakers to discuss ‘Labour’s Constitutional Agenda in Office’. Starting with a keynote address by…

Today marks one year since the 2024 general election, so here’s something I wrote a couple of weeks ago about the government’s progress on its manifesto pledges for constitutional reform.

constitution-unit.com/2025/06/13/l...

With the Hereditary Peers Bill back in the Lords on Wednesday, we asked the public what they think about the options for going further on Lords reform. Results below 👇

We have a fantastic line-up of politicians for our conference this year: the Labour Minister for the Constitution giving the keynote, the Conservative Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, the Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office Spokesperson, six other cross-party MPs and two peers!

Big day today! The launch of 'Exploring Parliament' - really looking forward to catch up with other authors and celebrate the book. Thank you to the @instituteforgovernment.org.uk for hosting us and to @studyofparl.bsky.social for sponsoring the launch. You can still register online👇:

But we need your accidental unmuting to cancel out all the times I will forget to unmute!

Our annual conference is coming up!

We'll be taking stock of the Labour government's constitutional policy so far - looking at what has, and hasn't, happened during the first year in office, with a great line-up of speakers.

Huge thanks to everyone involved - especially Hazel Blake & @arabellalaw.bsky.social, who contributed the fascinating piece on access to justice. ⚖️