The UK’s constitutional safeguards

Inquiry into the UK’s Constitutional Safeguards: Call For Evidence

1. The House of Lords Constitution Committee, chaired by Lord Strathclyde, is conducting an inquiry into the UK’s constitutional safeguards.

2. The Committee’s inquiry will seek to understand the extent to which the UK’s constitutional democracy is under threat. Within this context, it will seek to identify the constitutional safeguards that exist within the UK system, and understand the most significant strengths, weaknesses and vulnerabilities in how they operate. It will also seek to identify ways in which the UK’s network of safeguards can be made more effective. In conducting this inquiry, the Committee expects to identify areas that would benefit from further inquiry, and will therefore form the basis of future Committee work.

3. The Committee invites interested organisations and individuals to submit written evidence to the inquiry. The deadline for written evidence submissions is 9am on Monday 28 September 2026.

4. The Committee welcomes written submissions on any aspect of this topic, and particularly on the following questions. It is not necessary to answer all the questions.

1) Is the UK’s constitutional democracy under threat? If so, why?

2) How could potential threats to the constitution be mitigated?

3) What safeguards exist to protect the UK constitution?

4) How effective are the UK’s constitutional safeguards? Where do the vulnerabilities lie?

5) Who are the key guardians of the integrity of the UK’s constitution? What formal or informal powers do they have? Who guards the guardians?

6) How do the UK’s constitutional safeguards compare to those in other jurisdictions? What are the comparative strengths and weaknesses of the UK’s system?

7) How has the landscape of constitutional safeguards changed over time? Which safeguards have become both more or less significant, and why?

5. Diversity comes in many forms and hearing a range of different perspectives means that committees are better informed and can more effectively scrutinise public policy and legislation. Committees can undertake their role most effectively when they hear from a wide range of individuals, sectors or groups in society affected by a particular policy or piece of legislation. We encourage anyone with experience or expertise of an issue under investigation by a select committee to share their views with the committee, with the full knowledge that their views have value and are welcome.

This inquiry will seek to identify the constitutional safeguards that exist within the UK system, and understand the most significant strengths, weaknesses and vulnerabilities in how they operate. It will also seek to identify ways in which the UK’s network of safeguards can be made more effective.

Evidence goes to the committee through Parliament’s own form. There is no way to submit it from here: Parliament publishes no API for written evidence, so the button above opens the committee’s page.

What you send is published under your name and can be quoted in the committee’s report. Keep it under 3,000 words, send it as a document rather than a letter in the body of an email, and answer the questions above rather than writing generally.

The committee’s own address is constitution@parliament.uk, for a question about the inquiry or trouble with the form.