The House of Lords Constitution Committee has just published its report on the rule of law. Professor Jeff King, Deputy Director of the GCDC, gave oral evidence to the Committee as part of its inquiry, which began in March 2025.
The report, titled The Rule of Law: Holding the Line against Tyranny and Anarchy, cites Professor King multiple times. In addition to other citations (at paras 6, 19, 20, 23, 44, and 171), the report draws on Professor King’s assertion that the rule of law, as ‘the canary in the coalmine of democracy’, is integral to democratic governance (paras 35–36), and that adherence to international law is a key component of the rule of law, following ‘from the idea that the state has to adhere to its valid legal obligations’ (para 66). The report further highlights Professor King’s argument that Parliament can pass laws that violate the rule of law, as in the case of ouster clauses, which are ‘unambiguously a threat to the rule of law’ but which courts are required to uphold under the principle of parliamentary sovereignty (paras 163–65).
The Committee’s report also cites written evidence provided by Professor Cheryl Thomas, Co-Director of the Judicial Institute at UCL Laws (paras 105–106), and James Milton, PhD candidate at UCL Laws and member of the GCDC (paras 21, 23, 47, 58, and 134).
The report is available on the UK Parliament website.
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