The United Kingdom’s constitution, while of ancient origins, remains both dynamic and vibrant. As every public lawyer is only too aware, nowadays, the proper boundaries of constitutional and administrative law are both increasingly wide and subject to debate. In compiling any textbook on this subject, one of the principal preliminary tasks lies in defining the scope of material to be included and the approach to be adopted in relation to that material. The task of writing is made more problematic by the many and varied depths in which, and the means by which, the subject is taught both in the United Kingdom and overseas. Full time students; part time students; students on long distance learning programmes such as the University of London’s Programme for External Students and students combining both constitutional and administrative law within a one year course, all have differing needs. The aim in this book has been to provide sufficient detail to meet all such needs in a user-friendly manner. As emphasised in the introductory chapters, the study of the United Kingdom’s constitutional and administrative law involves rather more than a learning of rules of law, and necessarily encompasses – over and above an understanding of legal rules – an understanding of history, government, politics and conventional practices which form the foundations of the contemporary constitution. As a result, any constitutional and administrative law textbook must incorporate sufficient information relating to such matters so as to enable students to view the constitution in its historical, political and conventional context. In this work, I have addressed the subject in this manner in order to provide a rounded, contextual explanation of the United Kingdom’s constitution, which goes beyond pure law while also adequately covering the law. As previously, the text is divided into seven main parts. Part I provides a general introduction to the scope of constitutional law, the sources of the constitution and the structure of the United Kingdom. In Part II, the fundamental concepts of the constitution are considered: the rule of law, separation of powers, the royal prerogative and parliamentary sovereignty. In Part III, the European Union and Community is discussed. The material is divided into two chapters. Chapter 8 considers the evolution, aims and structure of the Union and Community and the principal institutions and their respective powers. In Chapter 9, the sources of Community law and the relationship between national and Community law are discussed. In Part IV, the structure of government is discussed, Chapter 10 considering the role of Prime Minister, Cabinet and the Civil Service, Chapter 11 discussing the concept of responsible government and ministerial responsibility and Chapter 12 the devolution of power to the Northern Ireland Assembly, Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly and local government.

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