Today’s State Opening of Parliament followed its usual pattern, not least in terms of who was in the chamber. Not only do members of the two Houses assemble, but we are joined by members of the Diplomat Corps, who sit by seniority (the senior ones to the front of the box, and the very junior…
I am spending the new year break in Cape Town. I have a deep interest in and affection for South Africa, having been a trustee of the Rhodes Scholarships and of the Mandela-Rhodes Foundation. The Rhodes Scholarships bring American, S. African and other commonwealth graduates to Oxford – but the Mandela-Rhodes Foundation returns some of…
Shortly before the final sitting of the law lords, one of their number – Lord Mance – gave an interview on the move from the Palace of Westminster to the new Supreme Court the other side of Parliament square. You can link to the interview here. In the course of it, he provides an answer…
The House last Monday paid tributes to the law lords and on Thursday the law lords held their last judicial sitting in the House. Though we may still see them individually, they cease to be members with the creation of the Supreme Court. (Under the terms of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 we also lose…
There was a judicial sitting of the House yesterday morning. It followed the usual procedures. However, upstairs on the second floor where the law lords are located, everything is not as usual. Packing is already under way in preparation for the move to the Supreme Court. The House will rise in just over two weeks. When we resume…
