Turpin and Tomkins' British Government and the Constitution

Places constitutional law in its legal, historical and political context using contemporary examples.

This an updated edition of an authoritative textbook that places the law in its context. It examines Brexit, referendums, evolving devolution and dramatic political events of 2019 and their impact on the traditional understanding of the Westminster Constitution. It also analyses the two recent constitutional decisions of the Supreme Court.A lot has happened to the UK Constitution in the last seven years. We've witnessed the UK's exit from the EU, further devolution to Scotland and Wales, a number of prominent cases by the Supreme Court, two early parliamentary general elections, major governmental defeats and two Prime Ministerial resignations. Alison Young has built on the text of Colin Turpin and Adam Tomkins' earlier edition, keeping their unique historical and contextual approach, whilst bringing the material up to date with more contemporary examples, including references to Brexit, the recent prorogation and Brexit case law, and the Covid-19 pandemic. The book continues to include substantial extracts from parliamentary and other political sources as well as from legislation and case law. It also provides a full yet accessible account of the British constitution at the culmination of a series of dramatic events, on the threshold of possible further constitutional reform.