Commonwealth of Britain Bill - Definition and Overview

The Commonwealth of Britain Bill was introduced by Tony Benn, who was then a Labour MP in the House of Commons, first in 1991. It proposed abolishing the British monarchy, with the United Kingdom becoming a 'democratic, federal and secular commonwealth', in effect, a republic with a written constitution. It has been read in Parliament a number of times since, but has never achieved a second reading. Under the bill:

• The constitutional status of the Crown would be ended;
• The Church of England would be disestablished;
• The head of state would be the President, elected by a joint sitting of both Houses of the Commonwealth Parliament;
• The Privy Council would be abolished, and replaced by a Council of State;
• The House of Lords would be replaced by an elected House of the People, with equal representation of men and women;
• The House of Commons would similarly have equal representation of men and women;
• England, Scotland and Wales would have their own National Parliaments;
• County Court judges and magistrates would be elected; and
• British jurisdiction over Northern Ireland would be ended.

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Commonwealth of Britain Bill