The UK awards hundreds of honours each year to mark notable achievements and contributions to society. These awards – such as knighthoods, damehoods, and OBEs – can be a source of pride and a cause of controversy. So how are people chosen for these honours? How does the system work behind the scenes? And could it be improved? Ahead of the New Year Honours, we’ll discuss these questions with an expert panel.

Speakers:

Dame Sue Owen – former member of the Arts and Media, Economy, and Sport Honours Committees and former Permanent Secretary at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Sir Peter Riddell – former member of the Parliamentary and Political Service Honours Committee, former Commissioner for Public Appointments, and Honorary Professor at UCL

Dominic Grieve KC – former Attorney General for England and Wales, and Conservative MP for Beaconsfield 1997–2019

Chair: Professor Meg Russell – Director of the Constitution Unit

Links:

Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit

Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list

Blog: constitution-unit.com

Please note that, in places, the microphones momentarily failed to record the proceedings at this event. We apologise.

In the UK, calls for the withdrawal from the European Convention of Human Rights are becoming louder and more persistent. The government has promised to look into the case for reform of the Convention, but at present there are no details about what this would look like. Yet, the discussions about the future of the ECHR are not limited to the UK. Across the Council of Europe many states are considering the case for renegotiation of current obligations under the Convention, particularly in the context of migration. In Denmark, the government is reviewing the practice of its courts and drafting a proposal for a new agreement that would amend the current text of the Convention and allow the government to limit its obligations in relation to particular groups of migrants. How are these developments at European level relevant for the discussion in the UK?

A panel of expert speakers familiar with the developments in Denmark, UK, and the Council of Europe speak about the pressures that human rights and especially the European Convention find themselves under and what the options are for states seeking a reform of the system.

Speakers:

Former Judge Robert Spano, Former President of European Court of Human Rights, Partner at Gibson Dunn

Professor Jens Elo Peters Rytter, Professor of Constitutional Law, University of Copenhagen

Professor Colm O’Cinneide, Professor of Constitutional and Human Rights Law, UCL

Professor Alice Donald, Professor in Human Rights Law, Middlesex University London

Chair: Professor Veronika Fikfak, Professor of Human Rights and International Law, UCL

Links:

Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit

Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list

Blog: constitution-unit.com

The UK government published an elections policy paper in the summer, including proposals for votes at 16, automated electoral registration, and strengthened political finance rules. With an Elections Bill expected in November, this panel will assess the government’s proposals and consider whether they will be sufficient to ensure electoral integrity. For example, are tighter rules needed on political donations? Should more be done to protect the independence of the Electoral Commission? Should requirements for truthfulness in political speech be strengthened?

Speakers:

Cat Smith MP – Labour MP for Lancaster and Wyre

Rose Whiffen – Senior Research Officer, Transparency International UK

Tom Hawthorn – Head of Policy, Electoral Commission

Professor David Howarth – Professor of Law and Public Policy, University of Cambridge, former UK Electoral Commissioner (2010–18), and former Liberal Democrat MP for Cambridge (2005–10)

Chair: Professor Alan Renwick – Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit

Links:

Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit

Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list

Blog: constitution-unit.com

Many of the highest-profile political issues – including trade, security, and immigration – are now shaped by international treaties and agreements. These agreements are negotiated by ministers and officials, and recent years have seen complaints that the UK’s parliaments lack the scrutiny tools they need. So why does parliamentary scrutiny of international agreements matter? Does the current system allow for adequate scrutiny? And if not, what needs to change?

Speakers:

Lord (Peter) Goldsmith KC – Chair of the House of Lords International Agreements Committee

Arabella Lang – Head of Public Law at the Law Society

Clare Adamson MSP – SNP MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw, and Convener of the Scottish Parliament’s Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee.

Chair: Lisa James – Senior Research Fellow, Constitution Unit

Further reading:

• 'Treaty scrutiny in Westminster: addressing the accountability gap' (House of Lords International Agreements Committee, 11 September 2025).

Links:

Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit

Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list

Blog: constitution-unit.com

The UK government has promised a ‘devolution revolution’ in England, with major changes to the structure of regional and local government, and has published a detailed white paper setting out its plans. How might these changes affect the delivery of public services and quality of local democracy? How will they change the place of local government in the wider constitutional structure? What else might be needed to ensure that ministers achieve their goals? We discussed these questions with an expert panel including two current and former council leaders.

Speakers:

• Bella Sankey – Labour Leader of Brighton & Hove City Council and Deputy Leader of the Local Government Association Labour Group
• Roger Gough – former Conservative Leader of Kent County Council (2019–25)
• Professor Arianna Giovannini – Professor of Political Sociology at the University of Urbino, Italy and former Director of IPPR North.

Chair: Professor Alan Renwick – Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit

Links:

Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit

Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list

Blog: constitution-unit.com

This summer marks a year since Labour’s landslide victory at the 2024 general election. The party’s manifesto contained a number of pledges for reforming the UK’s constitution and political institutions. So how have those pledges fared since Labour took office? Which promises have been delivered? What unexpected changes have been introduced? And what further reforms will – or should – be on the government’s agenda?

This online conference took stock of constitutional developments in the last year, and looked ahead, with a range of senior speakers including parliamentarians, academics, and commentators.

This closing session brought together a cross-party senior panel to offer reflections on the Labour government’s constitutional agenda, and possible alternative priorities.

Speakers:

• Alex Burghart MP – Conservative MP for Brentwood and Ongar, Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
• Sarah Olney MP – Liberal Democrat MP for Richmond Park, and Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for the Cabinet Office
• Baroness (Dianne) Hayter of Kentish Town – Labour peer, and former Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords

Chair: Professor Meg Russell FBA – Director of the Constitution Unit

Links:

Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit

Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list

Blog: constitution-unit.com

This summer marks a year since Labour’s landslide victory at the 2024 general election. The party’s manifesto contained a number of pledges for reforming the UK’s constitution and political institutions. So how have those pledges fared since Labour took office? Which promises have been delivered? What unexpected changes have been introduced? And what further reforms will – or should – be on the government’s agenda?

This online conference took stock of constitutional developments in the last year, and looked ahead, with a range of senior speakers including parliamentarians, academics, and commentators.

The newly established Modernisation Committee has set out broad objectives of reforming standards, working practices, and procedure in the House of Commons. The Commons Procedure Committee has also announced a large number of inquiries. What are the priority areas for Commons reform? What should any reforms aim to achieve, and how can they balance competing priorities, for example of strengthening scrutiny and easing MPs’ working lives? How can reforms successfully attract broad support and allow the Commons to work more effectively?

Speakers:

• Cat Smith MP – Labour MP for Lancaster and Wyre, and chair of the House of Commons Procedure Committee
• Wendy Chamberlain MP – Liberal Democrat MP for North East Fife, Liberal Democrat Chief Whip, and member of the House of Commons Modernisation Committee
• Dr Hannah White – Director of the Institute for Government

Chair: Dr Tom Fleming – Lecturer in British and Comparative Politics, UCL

Links:

Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit

Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list

Blog: constitution-unit.com

This summer marks a year since Labour’s landslide victory at the 2024 general election. The party’s manifesto contained a number of pledges for reforming the UK’s constitution and political institutions. So how have those pledges fared since Labour took office? Which promises have been delivered? What unexpected changes have been introduced? And what further reforms will – or should – be on the government’s agenda?

The rule of law

The Lord Chancellor and the Attorney General have both placed great emphasis on this new government upholding the rule of law. What does this mean in practice? Has the government delivered on this aspiration, and what more is needed to do so? What challenges has it faced?

Speakers:

• Andy Slaughter MP – Labour MP for Hammersmith and Chiswick, and chair of the House of Commons Justice Committee
• Baroness (Victoria) Prentis of Banbury KC – Conservative peer, former Attorney General and former Conservative MP
• Dr Joelle Grogan – legal academic and presenter of The Law Show on BBC Radio 4

Chair: Professor Veronika Fikfak – Professor of Human Rights and International Law, UCL

Links:

Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit

Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list

Blog: constitution-unit.com