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Mar 23, 2020 9 tweets 4 min read Read on X
NEW BLOG: David Natzler, former Clerk (chief official) of the House of Commons, looks at the emergency bill being debated today, and how else parliament may need to adapt to maintain scrutiny during the COVID-19 crisis. #coronavirusuk

THREAD ⬇️⬇️

constitution-unit.com/2020/03/23/par…
The Coronavirus Bill will be debated in the Commons today: a 321-page bill to be discussed for just six hours before going to the Lords.

Speed is clearly necessary, but it contains extensive powers and scrutiny is important to avoid mistakes being made.
An sad feature of current circumstances is that the #CoronavirusBill won't benefit from the usual scrutiny from key committees: Joint Committee on Human Rights, Lords Constitution and Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform committees.

Plenty for them to consider in this bill.
One major point of contention is the "sunsetting" arrangements.

The provisions are temporary, but last until 2022. Parliamentarians may want to shorten that, and build in more frequent reviews.

There's lots of useful briefing from @commonslibrary here:

commonslibrary.parliament.uk/?s=Coronavirus…
Beyond the bill, parliament will want to hold ministers to account throughout the crisis via select committees, (urgent) questions, and government statements.

Democratic oversight is essential, while nonetheless respecting that ministers are working flat out to do their jobs.
Parliament itself will need to adapt to COVID-19. To avoid overcrowded division lobbies possibilities include extensive "pairing" between the parties, use of proxy votes, or even block voting (though the latter will raise concerns and needs approaching with care).
Select committees are exploring virtual meetings via video conferencing, though there are technical challenges. The quorum may reduce to one member physically present.

In the Lords younger members will be able to preside, after the 82-year-old @LordSpeaker chose to self-isolate.
On Wednesday the Petitions Committee (@HoCpetitions) will hold an innovative session with ministers and the Chief Medical Officer on #coronavirusuk, after receiving 45,000 public questions, and petitions with 1.8 million signatures

parliament.uk/business/commi…
All-in-all the flexibility of our constitution allows lots of room for rapid innovation and adaptation to the challenges of the current crisis.

But to ensure good decision-making by government, appropriate parliamentary oversight and accountability will remain essential.

ENDS.

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Feb 22, 2023
Amidst much current talk of the NI Protocol and the ERG, Meg Russell and @james_lisak's forthcoming book sheds new light on this saga.

The ERG voted for the Protocol, as part of Johnson's deal, but very reluctantly. They feared that Brexit would otherwise be lost.

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David Frost's subsequent comments are quite well known.

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Oct 20, 2022
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constitution-unit.com/2022/10/05/the…

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3 legacy characteristics of Johnson’s constitutional regime have been notable in the current crisis:

🚨a strained relationship with the civil service
🚨tension over the role of constitutional regulators 🚨sidelining of parliamentary scrutiny.

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May 16, 2022
The Northern Ireland #Protocol is top of the news. So how did we get here? The Unit's Meg Russell and @james_lisak explore.

@theresa_may as PM negotiated a Brexit deal that sought to avoid most of these problems. But it was blocked. Who by?

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ukandeu.ac.uk/?p=49364&previ…
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May was forced out by the Brexit hardliners. Johnson took over and pledged to "get Brexit done". 🤔

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Mar 16, 2022
NEW MONITOR: The 80th edition of Monitor was published today. It provides analysis of the last 4 months of constitutional news and contains sections on parliament, elections, devolution, the courts, & the monarchy. It is free and available now:
ucl.ac.uk/constitution-u…
2/8 The PARLIAMENT section includes analysis of the fractious relationship between the government and parliament (including its own backbenchers & a record number of Lords defeats), and concerns about the proper scrutiny of delegated legislation.
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It discusses plans for the Restoration and Renewal of the Palace of Westminster, which once again appear to be in flux.
Read 9 tweets
Feb 10, 2022
Starting shortly! The Unit is holding a fascinating seminar on: What Kind of Democracy Do People Want?

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Chair: Professor Meg Russell
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This report, on attitudes towards democracy in the UK, is extremely timely, and have been quoted by the press and politicians. This morning, former PM John Major quoted our findings.
Professor Alan Renwick @alanjrenwick introduces key aspects of this project.

First, this report is based on our survey of around 6500 people conducted last summer. This was before the Owen Paterson affair and the “partygate” issue.
Read 17 tweets

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