Could the UK really get a written constitution? What Burnham’s plan would mean in practice and in law

Published on 29 September 2026 at 19:17

 

The UK is one of the few democracies in the world without a single codified constitution. Instead, its constitutional rules are spread across Acts of Parliament, court decisions (case law), political conventions (such as the King giving royal assent to bills — an unwritten rule that is followed but not legally enforceable), and historic documents such as Magna Carta.

Magna Carta is often treated as the foundation of the British constitution and has influenced many others, most notably the US Constitution, through the idea of limited government. While it established early principles of due process that still underpin the legal system, it was primarily designed to restrain the King and protect the interests of the barons rather than the rights of ordinary citizens. Those ideas later expanded far beyond their original purpose.

What has been announced so far?

Andy Burnham became Prime Minister on 20 July and has moved quickly on devolution, promising greater powers to local areas and taking power out of Westminster in the name of “good growth in every postcode.” He has also made early fiscal pledges, including capping bus fares across England at £2 and committing £340 million over three years to tackle homelessness. Further fiscal measures are expected in the October Budget, alongside a 10-year plan later in the year.

He has already begun decentralising government. In a cabinet statement on Friday 31 July, he announced that metro mayors will receive more powers and a share of income tax and business rates. He has also reiterated his support for a codified constitution.

A full written constitution remains a stated ambition rather than an immediate plan. Andrew Blick, director of the Constitution Society, has suggested that any major constitutional overhaul may have to wait until the next general election and a clear manifesto commitment, though smaller reforms could happen sooner.

How would a codified constitution affect you?

In practice, a codified constitution would give the new devolution arrangements a higher legal status, making them much harder for another government to reverse. More widely, it would set out the core rules about the powers of government, Parliament and the courts, including the Supreme Court, placing them beyond the reach of a simple majority in Parliament. This would mark a historic shift from the current system of parliamentary sovereignty, under which the constitution can be changed by ordinary legislation at any time, and would give the courts a more distinct role in upholding the structure of the state.

For now at least the direction is set: more power is moving out of Westminster to local councils and metro mayors, more money is being tied to local growth, and a longer-term constitutional question remains unanswered. The next few months will be key to determining whether this is a genuine historic rewiring of the state or simply a new way of managing the same system.


Wrote by JS 

 

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