The UK Constitution
KEY TERMS
Codified
a constitution in which laws and practices are set out in a single document.
Entrenched
a constitution protected by a higher court,
and requires special procedures to amend it.
Unitary
a political system where all legal sovereignty is contained in a single place.
Parliamentary sovereignty the principle that Parliament can make, amend or unmake any law, and cannot bind its successors or be bound by its predecessors.
Statute law laws passed by Parliament.
Common law
laws made by judges where the law does not cover the issue or is unclear.
Conventions
traditions not contained in law but influential in
the operation of a political system.
Authoritative works
works written by experts describing how a political system is run, which are not legally binding but are taken as significant guides.
Treaties
formal agreements with other countries, usually ratified by Parliament.
The rule of law
the principle that all people and bodies, including government, must follow the law and can be held to account if they do not.