British constitutional law - Definition and Overview

In the politics of the United Kingdom, constitutional law is an area of uncodified law and statutes that regulates relationship between, the power of, and the privileges of the monarchy, the houses of Parliament, the Scottish courts and the English courts system which include the common law courts, the courts of chancery, the ecclesiastical courts, the admiralty courts, as well as many other courts and administrative tribunals. While it is said that United Kingdom's constitution is unwritten, it is, in fact, partly made up of many documents including such well known texts as the Magna Carta, the Bill of Rights, the Statute of Westminster 1931 and the various Acts of Union (1536-1543, 1707 and 1800).

However, it is not always evident how these documents interact as they encompass centuries of history. Also, much of British constitutional law relies upon the royal prerogatives, unwritten constitutional conventions and other customs; thus the constitutional law of the United Kingdom and countries that were once part of the British Empire may have to be understood in the context of case law that throws perspective on these many elements.

See also

• British constitution
• Classical definition of republic