The New British Constitution

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The British constitution, long considered entrenched by tradition and history, has, since 1997, undergone a process unique in the democratic world: piecemeal transformation from uncodified to codified status. This process, spear-headed by the Human Rights Act and devolution to the non-English parts of the UK (at present there exists neither the political will nor the consensus to go further) has created a new constitution, characterized by the limitation of the powers of Parliament. The Human Rights Act and the devolution legislation, having the character of fundamental law, in practice limit the rights of Westminster as a sovereign parliament, and establish a constitution which is quasi-federal in nature. And though these reforms, together with Britain's membership of the EU, do little to secure more popular involvement in politics, they nevertheless serve to replace one constitution by another. The next phase of constitutional reform is likely to involve the creation of new forms of