BRIEFING REBUILDING CONSTITUTIONAL STANDARDS: FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE NEXT CONSERVATIVE LEADER

HOW WILL YOU DEFEND THE RULE OF LAW? At both domestic and international levels there has been significant concern about the government undermining the rule of law, as emphasised by expert bodies such as the Bingham Centre on the Rule of Law. [...] • Recognise and be prepared to defend the independent role of the courts, including limiting the use of ‘ouster clauses’ in legislation, which seek to shut the judiciary out of decisions about legality. [...] Examples include: • Johnson was the first Prime Minister in the 20-year life of the House of Lords Appointments Commission (HoLAC) to reject its recommendations on the propriety of a nominee for a peerage. [...] • He appointed numbers of peers well in excess of the recommendations of the cross-party committee on the size of the House of Lords established by former Lord Speaker Norman Fowler. [...] The Conservative Party has traditionally been a stern defender of constitutional traditions, of the importance of deference to norms and respect for the core bodies in the constitution.