Constitutional Reform under New Labour

From 1997 the following constitutional reforms have been achieved/undertaken by the government:

• The House of Lords: Removal of the rights of hereditary peers and their replacement with an as yet undecided system of appointed peers. To date the idea of electing a proportion of the Lords has been rejected.
• Devolution: Following referendums, some power has been devolved to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The former has its own parliament whilst the latter two have assemblies. It is proposed to set up a system of regional assemblies within England. A Lord Mayor of London has also been granted devolved powers.
• Voting systems: The elections within regional parliaments and assemblies use proportional representation rather than first past the post.
• The Human Rights Act has been introduced guaranteeing liberties to citizens.

It has not addressed other potential issues of constitutional reform such as:

• The creation of a written constitution.
• Reform of the Commons giving select committees more power to scrutinize the executive and more acceptable working hours.
• No change of first past the post for electing MPs.
• The Freedom of Information Act promised at the 1997 election has not materialized.
• Reform of the monarchy, some suggest a less official more ‘people friendly role’.