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NEW REPORT: 鈥楶arliament and Brexit鈥�

20 March 2020

The Brexit process may no longer dominate the news, but it remains far from over, and parliament will face further Brexit-related challenges. Today, the Unit launches 鈥楶arliament and Brexit鈥�, a new joint report with the UK in a Changing Europe which explores these challenges.

Parliament and Brexit report

The Brexit process听may no longer dominate the news, but it听remains far from over, and parliament will face further Brexit-related challenges during and beyond the transition period.听Today, the听Unit launches听鈥楶arliament and Brexit鈥�,听a听new joint report with听the听UK in a Changing Europe and the University of Leicester. The report analyses听parliament鈥檚 role in the听Brexit听process to听date,听and听asks听what changes may be needed to ensure that parliament is ready for phase two of the negotiations听and beyond.听听

While the nation and government are currently responding听to the Coronavirus outbreak, this report holds important lessons about the past, and ideas for the future when parliament is able to resume its business fully.听

Read the report

The Brexit process听brought parliament right into the political spotlight;听never before听has there been such great interest in its role in our听constitution.听The challenges and opportunities which have arisen thus far have听taught us听many lessons about parliament鈥檚 somewhat contested position.听

This report looks back on the Brexit period from听2016听onward,听and听examines what we鈥檝e learnt from the process听so far. It also casts an eye听ahead, looking at parliament鈥檚 role in the transition period and beyond, and听analysing听what that听could听mean for its structures and ways of working.听听

The 'Brexit and Parliament' report, published jointly听with听the听UK in a Changing Europe and the University of Leicester, brings together leading academic and practitioner voices听to听provide a thorough analysis of听parliament鈥檚听past and future Brexit听role. The sections of the report听explore听parliament鈥檚 role in the UK constitution,听Brexit and the parliamentary parties, Brexit scrutiny so far,听and both the topics and mechanisms for parliament鈥檚 future scrutiny work.听听

Providing the first main chapter in the report, Unit Director and UK in a Changing Europe Senior Fellow Meg Russell emphasises parliament's unique and central role in the country's political system. Parliament found itself subject to mounting attacks in the wake of the EU referendum. Yet, her chapter points out, the real conflict was not between parliament and people, but between a Conservative government and its own backbenchers over how to interpret the 2016 referendum result. In a separate chapter, Unit researcher Lisa James reviews the passage of two key Brexit bills, demonstrating how the level of parliamentary scrutiny built into the next stages is much curtailed compared to what went before.

Other contributions to the report look forward to the transition period and beyond, identifying key challenges which lie ahead for parliament - including a wealth of primary and secondary legislation, the need for effective treaty scrutiny, and the challenge of resettling relationships with the devolved administrations. Several contributors have affiliations with the UK in a Changing Europe, as well as with their own institutions.

Chapters and contributors of the report:听

  1. Introduction - Anand Menon听(UK in a Changing Europe, King's College London)

The role of parliament in the constitution听

  1. Parliament, politics and anti-politics - Meg Russell (果冻影院 Constitution Unit)

  1. Parliament鈥檚 legal role - Catherine Barnard and Alison Young (University of Cambridge)

  1. What do the public think? - John Curtice (University of Strathclyde)

Brexit and the parliamentary parties听

  1. The Conservative Party - Philip Lynch (University of Leicester)

  1. The Labour Party - Richard Whitaker听(University of Leicester)

  1. The SNP and Plaid Cymru - Louise Thompson听(University of Manchester)

  1. The parties from Northern Ireland - Katy Hayward (Queen's University Belfast)

  1. Opposition cooperation then and now - Tim Bale (UK in a Changing Europe, King's College London)

Brexit scrutiny听so far听

  1. The Exiting the European Union Committee - Hilary Benn (MP for Leeds Central and chair of the committee)

  1. Key Brexit bills: the EUWB and the WAB compared - Lisa James (果冻影院 Constitution Unit)

  1. Procedural innovation - Daniel Gover听(Queen Mary University of London)

  1. The Speaker鈥檚 role - Jack Simson Caird (Bingham Centre on the Rule of Law)

Mechanisms for future scrutiny听

  1. Commons select committees - Alan Wager (UK in a Changing Europe, King's College London)

  1. New parliamentary structures - Maddy听Thimont听Jack and Hannah White (Institute for Government)

  1. Devolution and interparliamentary coordination - Jack Sheldon (University of Cambridge) and Hedydd Phylip (Cardiff University)

  1. The Sewel convention - Nicola McEwen (Centre on Constitutional Change, University of Edinburgh)

Topics for future scrutiny听

  1. Brexit legislation - Jill Rutter and Joe Owen (UK in a Changing Europe and Institute for Government)

  1. Delegated legislation - Brigid Fowler and Ruth Fox (Hansard Society)

  1. Regulatory alignment and divergence - Adam Cygan (University of Leicester)

  1. EU trade negotiations -听Ewa听Zelazna (University of Leicester)

  1. Treaties beyond the EU - Jill Barrett听(Queen Mary University of London)听

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