Public Law expert David Radlett refutes claims in the media today that Britain faces a ‘constitutional crisis’ at the next election.
Commenting on an article published online today by The Independent entitled: Scottish independence: Britain faces ‘constitutional crisis’ at next election, David says: ‘Crisis? What crisis?
‘The UK will not have broken up by May 2015, so everyone is entitled to judge the ConDem government at that point and no later. If the Scots do choose freedom in their referendum, then their representation in the UK Parliament will end when that decision takes legal effect. If that happens part-way through the Parliament elected in May 2015 then so be it.
‘The precedent here is the reorganisation of the House of Lords following the House of Lords Act 1999, which took place during the lifetime of the 1997-2001 Parliament. If the government elected in 2015 loses its majority when the Scots delegation leaves, then it will no longer enjoy the confidence of the House of Commons and will have to go in accordance with age-old principle. Simples, as the TV meerkat puts it.’
David’s research interests include the shift in power from the elected and notionally representative and accountable to the unelected and obviously unrepresentatitive and unaccountable. Read more about his publications on his staff profile.