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Constitutional Reform in the UK

March 20, 2025 · 43 min

Show notes

Politics in the UK has been in turmoil in recent years — Brexit, Covid, movements for independence in Scotland and Northern Ireland, rule-breaking Prime Ministers and now the shockwaves from Donald Trump’s return to the White House. These pressures have tested the UK’s political system, raising serious questions about whether constitutional reforms are needed.

In this episode, we dive into a new report from the UCL Constitution Unit, which examines possible constitutional changes, their likelihood of passing, and whether they could truly address the challenges the UK faces. Our guests are two of the report’s authors:

  • Meg Russell – Director of the Constitution Unit and Professor of British and Comparative Politics at UCL
  • Lisa James – Senior Research Fellow at the Constitution Unit

Our host, Alan Renwick, also a co-author of the report, leads the discussion on possible constitutional reforms, their feasibility, and what reforms could be on the horizon.

Mentioned in this episode:

Links:

Website: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/social-historical-sciences/constitution-unit

Mailing list: https://mailchi.mp/ucl/constitution-unit

Blog: https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit

All episodes of UCL Constitution Unit

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