Bellamy on the Political Constitution

GCDC member Professor Richard Bellamy has recently published a new book, titled Defending the Political Constitution (Oxford University Press, 2026). The book offers a defence of political constitutionalism, which locates the constitution in the character and design of the political system and the modus operandi of its component political processes. Professor Bellamy explores the advantages of such a system compared to legal constitutionalism, which involves an entrenched constitution that operates as higher law and is upheld by a supreme or constitutional court. The book contends that a legal constitution only operates as well as the underlying political constitution within which it is embedded. 

In the book, Professor Bellamy examines the challenges facing political constitutionalism in an era of expanding international law and global regulation and challenges the belief that rights, the rule of law and judicial review, including by international courts, are inherently at odds with parliamentary sovereignty. The book argues for a new vision: one where international law and regulation are brought under democratic control, reinforcing rather than undermining political constitutionalism. By linking domestic democratic principles with intergovernmental cooperation, it offers a compelling model for safeguarding democracy.

The book will be launched at UCL on 23 March 2026. More details are available on the UCL Laws Events page.

The book is currently available through Oxford University Press.