Is the Parliament still sovereign in the UK?

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Khushal Ashani

Is the Parliament still sovereign in the UK?

The Parliament in the United Kingdom has developed over more than 900 years during which the House of Commons and the House of Lords raised and evolved. King Henry V in the 15th century placed the House of Commons and Lords on the same level. In 1689 with the establishment of the Bill of Rights it was ensured that Parliament had authority over the monarch and would be in charge of legislating and abolishing laws. The Act of Union of the British Parliament with Scotland and Ireland in 1707 and 1800 respectively which dissolved their Parliaments and made their MPs and Lords became part of Westminster followed. Nearly a century later, the Parliament Acts of 1911 and 1949 put a stop to the amending powers of the Lords regarding monetary Bills and also reduced the time limit within which they could delay a Bill. Today Parliament comprises of the House of Commons which consists of elected Members of Parliament, the House of Lords with its peers, Lords and the Crown.

Is parliament sovereign?

Parliament remains completely sovereign. The devolved assemblies exist at the behest of Parliament; the Human Rights Act only works so far as Parliament chooses to enforce it; and it has complete freedom to withdraw from the EU, plus every EU law must be enforced through Parliament before it has effect.

However beyond the legal sense Parliament's powers are limited, though this isn't new. The existence of the devolved assemblies and the Human Rights Act can indeed be undone, but to do so would be deeply unpopular moves which Parliament would be insane to attempt, unless public opinion were behind them. Withdrawal from the EU is also entirely possible but really it is whether that is economically wise and really necessary.

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Parliament is sovereign and it can make any laws it likes. In other countries, Parliaments are not allowed to act so freely, e.g. some countries with written constitutions do not give rights to Parliament to override some constitutional articles without a referendum, whilst some articles cannot be repealed at all such as in the Russian constitution. The UK has nothing like this, whether the article in question is a human right or simply a secondary relatively unimportant regulation, the law can be repealed by the 652 MPs collectively. Hence, Parliament may do whatever it likes, this is one reason ...

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