Brexit, Parliament and the Constitution: UK In A Changing Europe Senior Fellowship

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This Fellowship will support Professor Meg Russell, Director of the UCL Constitution Unit and one of the UK's leading authorities on parliament and constitutional politics, to produce research and contribute to debates on Brexit, parliament and the constitution.The decision to leave the EU has created particular tensions for parliament, which have become more prominent as debates have developed. The 2016 referendum, although itself approved by parliament, gave a result that conflicted with most parliamentarians' personal preferences. The government had offered no clear vision of what 'Leave' should mean. Since the referendum, parliament has increasingly asserted its role in deciding the way forward. But this has been controversial, with criticism and questions about the role of the House of Commons Speaker, government backbenchers, the opposition and the House of Lords. At time of writing the Commons had yet to agree a Brexit deal, and the outcome was uncertain. Possibilities included a 'hard' or 'no deal' Brexit, a 'soft' Brexit, no Brexit at all, or a further referendum.The central research focus of the Fellowship would be parliament's role. The applicant's previous research has focused substantially on parliament's power and policy impact. This theme would be developed in the Brexit context, with a detailed analysis of the extent to which, how, and thanks to whom, parliament has affected policy outcomes. Such work would be conducted through a combination of careful documentary analysis and interviews with senior figures involved, likely resulting in a book and several papers. These would document both the ways in which parliament has influenced the process, and crucially what this is likely to mean for the future of parliament's role in the British constitution - including the balance of power between government and parliament.Another detailed research theme would be how the media, and parliamentarians themselves, have discussed parliament's proper role vis-a-vis implementation of the referendum. Traditionally, 'parliamentary sovereignty' (whereby the highest decision-making authority is parliament) has been seen as central to the unwritten British constitution. But referendums emphasise 'popular sovereignty' (whereby the people's decisions trump those of parliament). By studying parliamentary and media debates the project would assess whether views are shifting from support for one principle to the other.The research would also explore decision-making inside parliament itself. The Brexit debates have raised various questions including about the power of the Speaker and rights of MPs versus the government to decide parliament's agenda. The applicant, who has worked on such issues before both inside and outside parliament, will review these questions and produce a report on what, if anything, needs to change.The Fellowship would facilitate a high degree of public and policymaker dissemination and engagement, on these topics and broader questions of Brexit and the constitution. Two seminars or roundtables will be held each year on topical issues, involving academics, policymakers, journalists and the wider public. These will feed the research, and also non-academic publications, including blog posts, short briefings, and social media engagement. One public event will be a larger one day conference. As well as the topics indicated above, possible themes include how parliament needs to adapt to a post-Brexit policy environment, how future referendums should be conducted (including a possible further referendum on Brexit), and the effects of Brexit on the UK Union and dynamics of devolution in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.In addition to these events and research outputs, the Fellowship would free up greater time for Professor Russell to contribute to public debates through the media, public meetings and other outlets such as evidence to parliamentary committees.