4. Changing the Constitution

About this Lecture

Lecture

In this module, we think about some of the major changes to the UK Constitution since 1997, focusing in particular on: (i) devolution; (ii) changes in the legislation (e.g. reform of the House of Lords); (iii) changes in the judiciary (e.g. the creation of the UK Supreme Court; and (iv) the increased use of referendums, up to and including the Brexit referendum in 2016.

Course

In this course, Dr Matthew Cole (University of Birmingham) explores the British constitution. In the first module, we think about the four sources of the British constitution – legislation, conventions, treaties and authoritative works – as well as the flexibility of the constitution compared to other, fully codified constitutions. In the second and third modules, we think about some of the advantages and disadvantages of the British constitution being in the form that it is, before turning in the fourth and final module to think about some of the ways in which the British constitution has changed in the last thirty years.

Lecturer

Matthew Cole is Teaching Fellow in the Department of History at the University of Birmingham. He is a historian of modern Britain with a particular interest in twentieth century constitutional and party politics, and local history.