Is Parliamentary Sovereignty the “jewel in the crown of the United Kingdom constitution?
If you find sovereignty (or any other Public Law concept) difficult to explain, try using illustrations. The essence is critical analysis and evaluation of the pros and cons of sovereignty, with some comparative analysis of how another countries’ constitutions work. The U.S model is again a useful (contrasting) comparator. This Question illustrates a common feature of Public Law assessment questions, overlap between topics, here including • Types of constitution (written and unwritten; unitary) • separation of powers Introduction • All countries are sovereign States • Each has sovereign law-making powers • Many countries have a written constitution that limits the power of Legislature UK Westminster Parliament has no such limit The (Dicean) theory Legal sovereignty lies with Parliament, political sovereignty lies with the people ‘Queen in Parliament’ (‘Parliament’) may make or unmake any law, that is Pass an Act making whatever provision it wishes upon any subject matter • All law is o
