The Modern British Constitution: theory and practice

Abstract

Beginning with the Magna Carta in 1215, a number of documents--not one single document as in the United States--have constituted the Modern British constitution. What are the main characteristics of Britain's peculiar constitutional arrangements? How has the Modern British constitution altered in response to the changing nature of its state--from England, to Britain, to the United Kingdom? What impact has the UK's developing relations with the European Union caused? These are some of the questions that legal scholar Martin Loughlin investigates in this Very Short Introduction. He traces how the Modern British constitution has grown organically, in response to changes in the economic, political, and social environment. By considering the nature and authority of the current Modern British constitution, and placing it in the context of others, Loughlin reveals how the traditional idea of a constitution came to be retained, what problems have been generated as a result of adapting a traditional approach in a modern political world, and what the future holds for the Modern British constitution.