Constitutional Reform in the United Kingdom : Principles and Practice

The Labour Government's proposals for reform of the UK's internal constitutional arrangements promise the most wide-ranging and substantial overhaul of the constitution this century. Their plans,which include devolution for Scotland and Wales, incorporation of the ECHR, a Freedom of Information Bill and reform of both houses of Parliament are already far progressed, but critical choices have still to be made. Against this background, and in view of these historical events, the Directors of the Centre for Public Law at the University of Cambridge recently organised a major conference to discuss the legal and practical implications of the proposed reforms. Speakers at the conference included leading academics, barristers, solicitors, judges and politicians. The results, which are reproduced in this volume of conference proceedings, will be essential reading for all those interested in constitutional reform and in British political history.