The government has publicly committed to removing Lord (Peter) Mandelson’s peerage following additional revelations about his connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Robert Hazell considers potential mechanisms for achieving this, and argues that if it is to be done by legislation, then the government should consider carefully how wide its scope should be, what criteria should trigger the removal process, and whether its provisions should be retrospective.
Continue readingIt was reported yesterday that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (formerly known as Prince Andrew) had been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The arrest has provoked much comment and many questions, such as will he get special treatment, what constitutes misconduct of office, how long might a prosecution take, and will he be removed from the line of succession? Robert Hazell answers some of those questions below.
Continue readingLast month, the royal family announced that Prince Andrew was to have his title and honours removed. Robert Hazell explains what has changed, how it was done, what might still happen, and what this could mean for the monarchy as a whole.
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On 13 October the government launched the new Ethics and Integrity Commission, which supersedes the Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL). This solution was first proposed by Sir Peter Riddell and Professor Robert Hazell in their Constitution Unit report Trust in Public Life: Restoring the Role of Constitutional Watchdogs. They welcome the creation of the new body, but say that it will need stronger membership, more staff and resources, and a statutory foundation.
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It is with great sadness that we must announce the death of Dr Bob Morris on 16 May. He was 87. Not only was Bob the oldest contributor to the work of the Constitution Unit, he was also one of the longest serving, having worked with us for almost 30 years. This was almost as long as his preceding time in the Home Office, where he served for close to 40 years. We cannot trace exactly when Bob’s involvement with the Unit began, but its current Director, Meg Russell, recalls that when she joined in 1998, he was on the panel which recruited her (to lead a project on the lessons for Lords reform of second chambers overseas).
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