Senior legal figures are warning Boris Johnson against interfering with the independence of the judiciary, amid mounting concern over the new government’s plans to overhaul Britain’s unwritten constitution. Our court system and our judges are there so the law laid down by parliament can be interpreted. It is also expected to look at so-called “prerogative powers” – those powers that the government can use without parliament’s approval. With Johnson’s 80-strong majority in the Commons, the Lords is likely to become one of the most important checks on his plans. Whitehall now works on opposite principles: its default mode is to go slower and those who advocate speed are denounced as reckless.

Source: The Guardian December 21, 2019 21:00 UTC