As the year comes to an end, blog editor Dave Busfield-Birch examines the blog’s content in 2024, and offers some insight into the reach of the blog through the lens of its readership statistics. The posts discussed cover topics such as the Balfour reforms of the Commons timetable, maiden speeches, how the new voting rules affected May’s PCC elections, the removal of the hereditary peers from the House of Lords, the roles of the NAO, media, and monarchy in the UK constitution, and a personal favourite on how the weather can affect elections.

This year marks the end of my seventh year as blog (and Monitor) editor at the Constitution Unit. When I joined in 2018, I was planning on moving to the United States before the end of that year, so was not planning on being at the crease for quite this long. Yet here I am, almost seven years (and four ex-Prime Ministers) later, and I hope I have not yet outstayed my welcome. This is my seventh annual roundup, and I am happy to report that the blog has continued to add readers, and produce the type of high-quality content that I enjoyed reading before taking over the role of editor.  

2024 was never going to be a calm year politically, as it was reasonable to expect an election to take place before Christmas. As it happened, we got one significantly earlier than many were expecting, and the UK has a new government, a lot of new MPs, and a new Cabinet Secretary. There have also been changes of First Minister in Scotland and Wales (two since March in the case of Cardiff). Parliament now looks radically different in terms of its membership, and a new Modernisation Committee, as well as changes to the House of Lords, mean that it could change even further in the year to come. There are also big plans for English devolution. In short, there has been a lot to talk about.

Below are the most popular blogs of each month, as well as some personal highlights selected by me. If you have not read them, then I highly recommend that you bookmark them and read them over your festive break (if you get one). You will not be disappointed.  

Editor’s Picks 

The controversial origins of centralised agenda control at Westminster, by Tom Fleming, Simon Hix, and Radoslaw Zubek.  

Who controls the Commons agenda has been an issue of keen interest to the Unit for a long time: so much so that we published a report on the need for MPs to have greater control over what they spend their time on. As this post points out, government control of the Commons agenda is a twentieth century invention. And the authors claim that the traditional narrative of how it came about might need to be revisited: the reform in question was not as consensual as it is often portrayed. It is a fascinating read, and as a history graduate, it was a joy to edit a rare post that mentions both Balfour and Campbell-Bannerman.  

Tom is a regular contributor to the blog, and in addition to the posts of his mentioned in this blog, I would also recommend his contributions on maiden speeches, and the competitiveness of select committee chair elections 

Heatwave risk and election safety: does it make sense to hold elections in July?, by Sarah Birch, Erik Asplund, Madeline Harty and Ferran Martinez i Coma.  

Ahead of the first July election in almost 80 years, we were able to publish this fascinating analysis – based on international examples – of how the risk posed by extreme heat could affect the conduct and outcome of the voting process. It raised concerns without being alarmist, and the points it makes are worth considering the next time a Prime Minister is considering an election in the middle of summer.  

Our most popular new blogs by month 

January 

The role of the media in democracies: what is it, and why does it matter?, by Caitlin Farrell and Lisa James.  

Published as part of our Constitutional Principles and the Health of Democracy briefing series, this post explains the role of the media in the UK constitutional system and argues that safeguarding its key democratic functions requires action from both politicians and the media. 

February 

The House of Commons row over opposition day amendments: procedural background and implications, by Tom Fleming.  

A debate in the House of Commons about Gaza and Israel was overshadowed by a bitter procedural row over the Speaker’s selection of amendments. But the rules governing opposition days – and their role in allowing these arguments – are not straightforward, as the Unit’s Tom Fleming explains in this scholarly yet accessible piece.  

March 

Citizens’ assemblies: what are they and how can policy-makers use them?, by Alan Renwick.  

Citizens’ assemblies can help policy-makers in developing policy effectively, but their potential role is often misunderstood. The Unit’s Deputy Director Alan Renwick explains here what they are, what they are for, how they have been used to date, and how they could be used in the future. This is a post which will remain relevant for a very long time, as has been shown by the recent discussions about using citizens’ assemblies to enhance and assist the debate over assisted dying.  

April 

What is constitutional monarchy, and what is its role in the UK?, by Lisa James and Robert Hazell.  

Another in the briefing series mentioned above; in this post the authors explain the UK monarchy’s constitutional role, its impact, and the questions that would need to be addressed should the UK ever decide to replace it. Robert was the founding director of the Unit and a keen scholar of the monarchy: to see him paired with my talented colleague Lisa was a dream come true, and it makes this post a must read for anyone looking for a primer on this important topic.  

May 

The new voting system for mayors and PCCs: how it changed the results, by Alan Renwick.  

This is the first of a two-part series, the editing of which was one of my highlights of the year. May’s elections for mayors and police and crime commissioners were contested under a revised voting system, and Alan’s research led to him concluding that the impact of the change on the outcome was substantial, and that it specifically benefited the Conservatives. The second post in the series argues that, in addition to affecting the outcome, the altered voting system had a negative impact on UK democracy. Both are essential reading for anyone interested in how we hold elections in this country, and how a change in the law can affect the results.  

June 

Northern Ireland: challenges for the next Westminster government, by Alan Whysall.  

Ahead of the July general election the Unit published a report on the challenges that the new government would face in Northern Ireland. In this post the report’s author, Alan Whysall, called on the post-election government to take a new approach to Northern Ireland, and relations with Ireland and urges it to seek to bolster constructive politics under the Good Friday Agreement.  

July 

Starmer’s challenges and early steps towards constitutional renewal, by Meg Russell and Alan Renwick.  

In addition to my role as blog editor, I also have the privilege of editing Monitor, the Unit’s regular roundup of constitutional news. We published the eighty-seventh issue of Monitor – which was also my twentieth issue as a contributor and editor – just after the King’s speech in July. This post, written by our Director and Deputy Director, is the lead article from that issue. It warns that aspects of the election campaign show that the divisive politics plaguing the UK have not gone away. And it commits the Unit to work hard to inform the new government, new opposition parties and wider public about the constitutional challenges ahead. The post is an excellent analysis of where we were in July and Monitor 87 is well worth reading in full. And I promise that I am not just saying that because I am the editor.

August 

The House of Commons Modernisation Committee: background, opportunities, and potential pitfalls, by Tom Fleming and Hannah Kelly.  

The House of Commons voted to establish a new Modernisation Committee after the election. In this post, the authors of a recent Unit report on past approaches to Commons reform explore the opportunities and challenges facing this new committee.

September 

Who are the last hereditary peers?, by Lisa James.  

Parliament is currently debating a bill to remove the right of hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords and to end the elections by which such lords are chosen. Who are these hereditary peers and what impact do they have, you might ask? Lisa has the answer to all of your questions: in this post she looks at the profiles of the sitting hereditary peers and asks how their removal might impact the second chamber. This post is best enjoyed alongside the post below.  

October 

Labour’s removal of hereditary peers from the House of Lords: 10 key questions answered, by Meg Russell.  

Authored by our Director and one of the country’s foremost experts on the chamber, this post explores 10 key questions about the bill and Labour’s policy. For example, who are the hereditary peers? How did they get into the House of Lords? How have they survived so long? And what effect will their departure have on the House of Lords? 

November 

How to improve parliamentary scrutiny of the assisted dying bill, by Dan Gover.  

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill has attracted considerable controversy – and continues to do so. In this post, Dan argued that parliament needed to take measures to ensure that this important subject gets the debate and scrutiny it deserves.  

If you are interested in parliamentary scrutiny of this important piece of legislation, I would also strongly recommend reading former Clerk of the Commons David Natzler’s take on the same subject, an expert view from a writer who spent decades working in the Commons.  

December 

Holding democracy to account: government and the National Audit Office, by Henry Midgley, Laurence Ferry and Aileen Murphie.  

The NAO is now over 40 years old, but it has its origins in the nineteenth century. In their new book, and in this blogpost, the authors offer an overview of the constitutional, political and human legacies of the NAO’s predecessor, the Exchequer and Audit Department, followed by a close examination of the organisation’s leadership and decision-making since its inception. They conclude that any debate about the organisation’s future is in fact a question about how the UK should be working to ensure democracy and good government. 

The year in numbers 

As of 19 December, our blog has been read 244,504 times this year (up from 209,143 in 2024), averaging out at over 20,000 views per month. The majority of our readers are based in the UK, but the blog has been read by people in 213 countries and territories, including Aruba, Burundi, Turkmenistan and Ukraine. Of last year’s top 10, Germany has dropped out, to be replaced by Nigeria. Our appeal in India, the Philippines and Malaysia remains undimmed, and I want to say a special thank you to the 235 readers who found us in Sierra Leone, a country about the size of Wales (which as we all know is the standard international unit of measurement). Thanks also go to the single person in each of the below places who read our blog: you are true constitutional blog pioneers.

And finally… 

The blog would be nothing without its contributors. They are too great in number to list here, but I am very grateful for their expertise and their time. In addition, I am personally grateful for the support I have had from everyone at the Unit during my almost seven years as editor of the blog and Monitor. Meg Russell and Alan Renwick, as well as our former Director, Robert Hazell, deserve a special mention on that front: all had a hand in recruiting me, although any errors after that point remain mine. Thanks are also owed to Edd Rowe and Rowan Hall, the latter of whom would probably find his job infinitely easier without me around, and is a great source of practical support.  

Editing this blog and contributing to, and editing, Monitor has been an immense privilege. I hope that through that work (and particularly via my Monitor contributions on the judiciary, courts and the law) I have helped inform and illuminate what can, to many, seem opaque.

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About the author 

Dave Busfield-Birch has been the editor of the Constitution Unit blog and Monitor since January 2018, and has somehow not yet been asked to leave.