Constitution of the United Kingdom

The body of laws, conventions, judicial decisions, and institutional practices that governs the United Kingdom. Unlike many constitutions, it is not consolidated in a single codified document.

Constitutional convention: A non-legal rule of political conduct that constitutional actors generally follow. Conventions govern practices such as ministerial accountability without being enforced as law.
Parliamentary sovereignty: The principle that Parliament can make or repeal any law and that courts cannot invalidate an Act of Parliament. It is the central rule governing the legal authority of Westminster legislation.
Bill of Rights 1689: An English statute that limited royal authority and affirmed parliamentary rights after the Glorious Revolution. It established enduring limits on the Crown and protections for Parliament.
United States Constitution: The supreme written constitution that establishes the federal government of the United States and limits its powers. Its single entrenched text contrasts with the UK’s dispersed constitutional sources.
Statute law: Law enacted by a legislature through a formal legislative process. Acts of Parliament supply many of the constitution’s written rules.
Responsible government: A system in which the executive remains politically accountable to an elected legislature. Government depends on maintaining the confidence of the House of Commons.
Parliament Acts: Acts of 1911 and 1949 that restricted the House of Lords’ power to delay legislation. They demonstrate Parliament’s ability to alter the relationship between its two chambers.
Constitution of France: The written constitution establishing the institutions and powers of France’s Fifth Republic. France illustrates a codified model with a formal constitutional text and review mechanisms.
Common law: A legal system in which courts develop law through precedent and judicial decisions. Judicial precedent shapes constitutional principles alongside legislation.
Rule of law: The principle that public power must be exercised under law and that people are subject to legal rules. It constrains how public authorities use powers within the constitutional system.

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