Increasingly, we see examples of the UK government being unable to carry out its policies for which it was elected because of reforms which took place under the Blair Labour government 1997-2010. Many feel that, while these reforms seemed sensible at the time, in practice their effect is to stifle our ability to solve current problems.
Examples include our inability to return illegal migrants due to their human rights and the endless inquiries and delays to projects such as HS2 or the Thames crossing.
In this video, David Starkey makes the case: How New Labour Trashed The British Constitution”
00:00–00:52 – Starkey argues that with Tony Blair’s 1997 election, “foreign” and “un-English” ideas were layered onto Britain’s traditional governance, undermining its historic structure.
00:52–02:20 – Blair’s government initiated a systematic weakening of parliamentary sovereignty in various fragmented, chaotic reforms rather than one unified constitutional overhaul.
02:20–05:25 – A pivotal reform was the demotion (effectively, partial abolition) of the Lord Chancellor role—long a fusion of judicial, executive, and legislative authority—replaced by a Minister of Justice, undermining the separation of powers.
08:04–09:20 – The creation of a Supreme Court to replace the judicial functions of the House of Lords further eroded Parliament’s supremacy and allowed courts to challenge ministerial and legislative actions.
11:22–14:05 – Blair’s government increasingly delegated key policy areas—such as monetary policy (Bank of England autonomy), climate policy (Climate Change Committee), and land use—to independent bodies, sidelining democratic, parliamentary processes.
15:22–16:35 – Devolution further diluted Parliament’s authority and unity, fragmenting governance power across nations (e.g., Scotland), which was exacerbated by single-issue expert committees (e.g. SAGE during COVID) that operated outside traditional democratic checks.
17:47–19:06 – Starkey advocates not revolution but conservative restoration—reviving traditional self-governing institutions (like counties and boroughs), broadening franchise within existing structures, and reinvigorating Parliament’s role as protector of popular sovereignty.
Leave the ECHR and repeal the Human Rights Act 1998
This act incorporated the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) into UK law, enabling citizens to challenge public bodies in domestic courts for rights violations and requiring legislation to align with ECHR principles.
Critics, including some Conservatives, argue the HRA empowers judges excessively, undermining parliamentary sovereignty by allowing judicial rulings.
Attempt at reform
The Bill of Rights Bill was a proposed Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that sought to replace the Human Rights Act 1998. It was introduced to the House of Commons by Dominic Raab, the Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Secretary of State for Justice, on 22 June 2022.[1]
On 7 September 2022, the passage of the Bill through Parliament was halted by the newly appointed Prime Minister, Liz Truss.
Repeal the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (Creation of the Supreme Court):
- Established an independent Supreme Court, separating judicial functions from the House of Lords, reforming the Lord Chancellor’s role, and enhancing judicial independence.
- Critics argue the Supreme Court’s creation has shifted power to unelected judges, who can challenge government actions, eroding the executive’s ability to govern without judicial overreach.
Repeal the Equality Act 2010
Critics of the Equality Act 2010 seek its repeal or reform due to concerns over free speech restrictions, regulatory burdens, conflicts with personal beliefs, vague enforcement, and perceived threats to meritocracy, seeing these as undermining effective governance.
It’s title is a disguise which gives the impression that it is offering equal rights to all citizens. In fact, it is the opposite. General equality before the law is already enshrined in UK law and discrimination on the grounds of sex, race, etc is already illegal.
What the so-called Equality Act does is allow discrimination in favour of minorities. It is part of the driving force behind DEI and is estimated to cost UK business around £2bn annually in compliance.
Petition to repeal rejected
A petition to ‘Repeal The Equality Act 2010 and the public equality duty’ was rejected in 2021. The proposers claimed that “This legislation allows positive discrimination (dressed up as positive action) which is illegal in the UK. The repeal of this legislation would allow a more equal and inclusive society, one where people progress on the basis of merit and not because of their colour or sex.”
This petition was rejected.
Why was this petition rejected?
- It’s not clear what the petition is asking the UK Government or Parliament to do.
- Petitions need to call on the Government or Parliament to take a specific action.
- We’re not sure exactly what you’d like the Government or Parliament to do. We’re not sure whether you want Parliament to repeal provisions relating to positive action (which, under the Act, is not currently illegal in specific circumstances) or if you would like all of the Equality Act’s protections to be removed.
- You could start a new petition explaining clearly what you would like the Government or Parliament to do.