🔒 Constitutional Law Explained: What Makes the UK System Different from Codified Constitutions?

Law Sessions With Jennifer Housen’s Podcast

Subscriber-only episode

Constitutional frameworks differ significantly across jurisdictions, with the UK's uncodified constitution contrasting sharply with the codified documents found in countries like Jamaica, South Africa, Nigeria, and the United States. Despite common misconceptions, the UK does have a constitution, though its character as unwritten, unitary, supreme, and flexible creates a unique legal framework centered on parliamentary sovereignty.
• Unitary constitutions place power with central government, though the UK has devolved powers to regional bodies
• The West Lothian Question highlights an anomaly where Scottish MPs can vote on English matters in areas devolved to Scotland
• UK Parliament enjoys supremacy as the highest lawmaking authority, unlike countries where constitutions overrule contradictory legislation
• Flexible constitutions like the UK's can be changed through regular Parliamentary processes without special procedures
• Codified constitutions typically contain entrenched provisions declaring themselves supreme and invalidating inconsistent laws
• Key constitutional concepts include entrenchment, supremacy, and citizens' rights and liberties
• Parliamentary supremacy represents the fundamental principle of the UK's constitutional framework
💡⚖️ Let’s learn the law together—one session at a time!

Chapters

1. Contrasting Constitutional Approaches (00:00:00)

2. Unitary Government and the West Lothian Question (00:01:19)

3. Supreme vs Subordinate Constitutional Frameworks (00:03:36)

4. Key Constitutional Concepts and Terminology (00:06:05)

5. Legal Authority in Various Constitutions (00:08:20)

6. Parliamentary Supremacy in the UK (00:10:36)