This report from UK think tank the Constitution Unit looks at public attitudes and policy responses to democracy in the UK. Over the last three years, the Constitution Unit has conducted detailed research into public attitudes to democracy in the UK. This has comprised two large-scale surveys of the UK population, conducted in summer 2021...

This report from UK think tank the Constitution Unit provides new insights into who works for MPs. A good deal is known about the 650 MPs who sit in the House of Commons, and they are frequently the focus of research. Far less is known about the over 3,500 people who work for them across...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government concludes an 18-month long Review of the UK Constitution. The UK’s constitution has been tested to its limits and found in urgent need of reform. This report, published jointly by the Institute for Government and Cambridge University’s Bennett Institute for Public Policy, warns that a...

This report from UK think tank IPPR looks at findings from the State of the Union survey. Brexit revealed stark differences in attitudes across the UK. It not only revealed different attitudes within and between the UK’s constituent units towards the European Union but it also revealed the ambivalence of attitudes towards the union of...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at the most pressing governance challenges in Northern Ireland today. In Northern Ireland, mention of constitutional change normally means just one thing: United Kingdom versus United Ireland. The ‘constitutional question’ that this juxtaposition connotes – whether or not a majority of the people in...

This report from UK think tank the Constitution Unit looks at diverse views from 1998–2023. The current impasse at Stormont and the political disruption caused by Brexit and the Protocol in recent years point to a continued need to understand the diverse viewpoints that exist on this key document from the Northern Ireland peace process....

This report from UK think tanks the Institute for Government and the Constitution Unit looks at constitutional reforms available to political parties. This joint report by the Institute for Government and UCL’s Constitution Unit sets out a menu of constitutional reforms available to political parties to strengthen the UK’s constitution and governing institutions. It is...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at how England’s counties and cities can make a success of devolution. This report sets out how politicians and officials can master the art of the devolution deal to give new devolved institutions a greater chance of success. It welcomes the cross-party consensus behind...

This report from UK think tank IPPR looks at the effectiveness of different rhetorical approaches to framing democratic reform. Dissatisfaction with how democracy works has been rising for more than a decade. For the first time since the mid-1970s, a clear majority of people in Britain are dissatisfied with democracy, and recent scandals in British...

This report from UK think tank the UK in a Changing Europe looks at what the monarchy does and how it does it. Given the coronation of King Charles III and the high levels of interest in the British monarchy that have been apparent since the death of Elizabeth II, UK in a Changing Europe...

This report from UK think tank the Constitution Unit provides the results of a second survey of the UK population on integrity in politics. Trust in politicians is at a low ebb and the health of the UK democracy matters as much to voters as issues such as crime and immigration, according to a new...

This report from UK think tank the Constitution Unit looks at House of Lords reform. The House of Lords is still an entirely unelected body, leading many to see it as an outdated throwback to earlier times. But the institution is in fact far more complex than that. It has evolved gradually over centuries and,...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at role that political parties play through their influential constitutional reforms. Political parties are the “ghosts in the machine” of the UK constitution – and more attention should be paid to their role in reforming how it operates. This guest paper by Professor Tim...

This report from UK think tank the Fabian Society looks at the case for a 21st century bill of powers and duties. Freedom was the left's first cause. Now, Liam Byrne MP argues, it is time for Labour to reclaim freedom as its own, with tangible liberties: freedom from poverty and from fear and freedom...

This report from UK think tank the Constitution Unit looks at the role of the monarchy in our political system. The Queen’s death has naturally prompted reflection on the role of the monarchy in our political system. The monarchy is tightly regulated by law and by convention. Laws passed by parliament regulate the rules of...

As the United Kingdom celebrates its 100th year in its current reconfiguration we asked how power should be shared going forward. Focus on how to embed metro mayors and combined authorities into major public investment decisions By James Heywood (Centre for Policy Studies) The UK is one of the most centralised nations in the developed...