PLSS: The Legal and Political Dimensions of Unwritten Constitutional Principles and Conventions

On Thursday, 23 October 2025, Professors Se-shauna Wheatle and Roger Masterman (both of Durham University) presented on ‘The Legal and Political Dimensions of Unwritten Constitutional Principles and Conventions’.

The presentation, part of the GCDC’s Public Law Seminar Series, explored the shared characteristics of unwritten constitutional standards, consisting of both principles and conventions. Professors Wheatle and Masterman also provided an account of the shared investment of constitutional actors in the process of articulating, and therefore shaping understandings of, a range of unwritten constitutional standards. They stressed that although discussions around the UK’s constitution are frequently oppositional, this compartmentalisation is illusory: many unwritten constitutional standards have both political and legal dimensions.

Additionally, Professors Wheatle and Masterman proposed a taxonomy of conceptions that reflect the varying manifestations of the relationship between unwritten constitutional principles and conventions in the UK. The speakers concluded by highlighting the complex and nuanced nature of constitutional principles and conventions, which cannot accurately be captured by rigid divisions.

Following the presentation, Professor Tom Hickman (UCL Laws) and Dr Dora Devlin (UCL Laws) offered their remarks, leading into further discussions with participants at the seminar. The event was chaired by Professor Jeff King (UCL Laws).

Watch a video recording of the seminar on UCL Laws’ YouTube channel, or view it directly below.