Constitutional law expert Sebastian Payne argued the case for the UK to have a written constitution when he appeared as a guest on KMTV’s Paul on Politics show, broadcast on Friday.
Sebastian believes current constitutional arrangements are obscure and antiquated. He says it’s time to refresh the constitution and suggests that clarifying the powers of government and the authority of Parliament would make it easier for the Supreme Court to rule on contentious political issues with greater confidence.
Sebastian’s comments are based on research for his article on ‘The Supreme Court and the Miller case: More reasons why the UK needs a written constitution’ which was published in the journal The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs.
On Friday’s Paul on Politics show, Sebastian and fellow guest, Daniel Rose (a Conservative councillor) were also quizzed on Brexit and matters of regional and national concern by show host, Paul Francis.
Watch the programme online (with discussion of the UK constitution beginning about 18 minutes in).
Sebastian is a Senior Lecturer in Public Law at Kent Law School. He is also President of the United Kingdom Constitutional Law Association and a Barrister of the Inner Temple. As well as publishing on the law relating to terrorism he is the editor (with Professor Maurice Sunkin) of The Nature of the Crown (Oxford University Press 1999).