Conference 2023 Panel 3: Courts and the rule of law

The Constitution Unit

Relations between the political branches and the courts have been strained in recent years. Pushback against the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights has spilled over into determined attempts to ‘clip the wings’ of the UK’s own courts, with renewed interest in ‘ouster clauses' and attempts to repeal the Human Rights Act, against a steady drumbeat of complaint that courts have become too powerful in our constitutional arrangements. How can the damage be repaired? What should be the priorities of a future government interested in restoring the UK’s battered reputation as a rule of law-regarding nation?

Speakers include

Laura Farris MP – Conservative MP for Newbury and former practising barrister at Matrix

Emily Thornberry MP - Labour MP for Islington South and Finsbury, and Shadow Attorney General

Fiona Rutherford – Chief Executive, Justice

Chair: Murray Hunt – Director of the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law

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Blog: constitution-unit.com