On Thursday Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Labour Party from 2015 until 2020, was sensationally suspended from the Labour Party and had the Labour Whip withdrawn. The MP for Islington North now sits in the House of Commons as an independent.
So why has he been suspended and what is the potential significance of this?
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Britain has an uncodified constitution. This means that it is constituted from a variety of sources, including: Statute Law, Common Law, Conventions, Royal Prerogative, External Relations and Works of Authority. Of these sources, many are uncodified, meaning they are not written down. This contrasts to a codified constitution like that of the United States in which the vast majority of constitutional rules are contained within the US Constitution which was signed in Philadelphia in 1787.
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Few days in Parliament have had the drama of the 28th March 1979. On this day, the government of Labour leader James Callaghan fell after it lost a motion of no confidence in the House of Commons. Consequently, the 1979 General Election was held which ushered in 18 years of Conservative Government.
Continue readingTonight the House of Commons held the Second Reading of the controversial Internal Markets Bill. It passed by 340-263 but this is by no means the end of the line for the bill and it faces many challenges ahead.
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Parliament in the UK is dominated by the Executive. A combination of the fusion of powers and the First Past The Post electoral system mean that the government is able to control the agenda. In fact, this is written into the Standing Orders of Parliament. Standing Order 14 says:
“Save as provided in this order, government business shall have precedence at every sitting”
