London
Prime Minister Tony Blair has abolished the 1,400-year-old post of lord chancellor. The office, held in centuries past by such notables as Sir Thomas More and Thomas à Becket, was the highest in the British court system, with the power to appoint judges. Getting rid of the post is a key part of Blair’s plan to create a new high court within three years that would be fully independent of the legislature, as in the U.S. Under the current British system, the Law Lords comprise the highest court of appeal and serve both as legislators and judges. No other constitutional democracy has its highest court as part of the legislature.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Home Depots are the new epicenters of ICE raidsIn the Spotlight The chain has not provided many comments on the ongoing raids
-
Why does Trump keep interfering in the NYC mayoral race?Today's Big Question The president has seemingly taken an outsized interest in his hometown elections, but are his efforts to block Zohran Mamdani about political expediency or something deeper?
-
The pros and cons of banning cellphones in classroomsPros and cons The devices could be major distractions
