Is the House of Commons Too Powerful? The 2019 Bingham Lecture in Constitutional Studies, University of Oxford

A challenge to long-standing assumptions about the House of Commons' role, this lecture argues that its power may not be in decline but rather too dominant within the UK's constitutional framework. Contrasting historical narratives—from Lord Bryce's 1921 observation on legislative decline to contemporary debates—the analysis questions whether the Commons has become an overreaching institution. The lecture draws on seminal legal scholarship, including that of Lord Bingham, whose advocacy for a Supreme Court and rule of law provides a lens for reassessing legislative authority. While acknowledging opposition to relocating the Law Lords from Westminster, the focus remains on re-evaluating the Commons' constitutional balance, offering a provocative counterpoint to established views.

Norton, P. (2019). Is the House of Commons Too Powerful? The 2019 Bingham Lecture in Constitutional Studies, University of Oxford. Parliamentary Affairs, 72(4), 996–1013. https://doi.org/10.1093/pa/gsz022