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Boris Johnson’s chaotic time in office exposed weaknesses in the UK’s political system that have damaged public trust and the country’s international reputation, a major review has found.

A report by the Institute for Government (IfG) called for urgent reform following a tumultuous period which has seen MPs test or break constitutional principles – including the former prime minister.

It said the UK constitution – which refers to the rules and laws that establish and underpin a political system – was an outlier on the world stage because it lacked “a central, codified source” and rested on the concept of parliamentary sovereignty.

This means there has been a historic reliance on “self-restraint from political actors rather than legal checks”.

However recent events have shown the willingness of MPs to push those boundaries, raising questions about the adequacy of checks and balances to “constrain political power”, the report said.

It cited the “misdemeanours” of Mr Johnson as an example of how the effectiveness of current arrangements are vulnerable to being tested.

The report, co-authored by Cambridge University’s Bennett Institute for Public Policy, said: “Boris Johnson’s attempt to prorogue parliament, disregard for the Ministerial Code, willingness to break the law while in office and misleading of parliament were all examples of a prime minister who, in the words of his cabinet secretary, believed he had ‘a mandate to test established boundaries’.

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“Not all of his misdemeanours were unprecedented; but his premiership shone a light on existing problems within the UK’s governing arrangements, and heightened the concern that there has been a steady erosion of the tacit norms on which government in the UK rests.”

The 18-month review was supported by an advisory board including former Conservative ministers Sir Robert Buckland and Sir David Lidington, shadow leader of the House of Lords Baroness Smith of Basildon and former Labour Mayor of Liverpool Joanna Anderson.

It said that within the wider global context of “deepening public suspicion of governmental institutions and heightened political polarisation”, events over the last decade “have placed the UK’s constitution under immense strain, underlining the urgent need for serious thinking about the nature and trajectory of the UK’s constitution”.

UK ‘facing crisis in institutions’

The report says: “The UK is facing a crisis in trust in politics and political institutions.

“Recent political instability has undermined the UK’s reputation as a stable democracy, damaging its international reputation and, as a consequence, its economic prospects.”

As a key example of the need for change, the report cites ministers’ previous willingness to override international law over the implementation of the Northern Ireland protocol.

Read More:
UK on a par with Russia for confidence in political system, study suggests

Despite senior civil servants resigning, interventions from former prime ministers and concerns expressed by the international community, the legislation passed the House of Commons in just over a month, with not a single rebellion from the Conservative backbenches.

A series of recommendations for change include establishing a new parliamentary committee on the constitution, which should have the power to delay legislation.

The review also said parliament should have a more extensive scrutiny process for new constitutional bills to ensure proposals are “thoroughly tested and attract cross-party support”, alongside clarification on the role of the civil service and strengthening its capacity to give constitutional advice.

Integrating public engagement through citizens’ juries and assemblies was also recommended.

Director of the IfG Hannah White said: “Our recommendations are intended to ensure that any politician considering changing the UK constitution is supported with robust advice, and to ensure that the UK constitution is changed only with appropriate consideration and public support.”

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Crypto’s path to legitimacy runs through the CARF regulation

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Crypto’s path to legitimacy runs through the CARF regulation

Crypto’s path to legitimacy runs through the CARF regulation

The CARF regulation, which brings crypto under global tax reporting standards akin to traditional finance, marks a crucial turning point.

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Tokenized equity still in regulatory grey zone — Attorneys

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Tokenized equity still in regulatory grey zone — Attorneys

Tokenized equity still in regulatory grey zone — Attorneys

The nascent real-world tokenized assets track prices but do not provide investors the same legal rights as holding the underlying instruments.

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Rachel Reeves hints at tax rises in autumn budget after welfare bill U-turn

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Rachel Reeves hints at tax rises in autumn budget after welfare bill U-turn

Rachel Reeves has hinted that taxes are likely to be raised this autumn after a major U-turn on the government’s controversial welfare bill.

Sir Keir Starmer’s Universal Credit and Personal Independent Payment Bill passed through the House of Commons on Tuesday after multiple concessions and threats of a major rebellion.

MPs ended up voting for only one part of the plan: a cut to universal credit (UC) sickness benefits for new claimants from £97 a week to £50 from 2026/7.

Initially aimed at saving £5.5bn, it now leaves the government with an estimated £5.5bn black hole – close to breaching Ms Reeves’s fiscal rules set out last year.

Read more:
Yet another fiscal ‘black hole’? Here’s why this one matters

Success or failure: One year of Keir in nine charts

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Rachel Reeves’s fiscal dilemma

In an interview with The Guardian, the chancellor did not rule out tax rises later in the year, saying there were “costs” to watering down the welfare bill.

“I’m not going to [rule out tax rises], because it would be irresponsible for a chancellor to do that,” Ms Reeves told the outlet.

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“We took the decisions last year to draw a line under unfunded commitments and economic mismanagement.

“So we’ll never have to do something like that again. But there are costs to what happened.”

Meanwhile, The Times reported that, ahead of the Commons vote on the welfare bill, Ms Reeves told cabinet ministers the decision to offer concessions would mean taxes would have to be raised.

The outlet reported that the chancellor said the tax rises would be smaller than those announced in the 2024 budget, but that she is expected to have to raise tens of billions more.

It comes after Ms Reeves said she was “totally” up to continuing as chancellor after appearing tearful at Prime Minister’s Questions.

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Why was the chancellor crying at PMQs?

Criticising Sir Keir for the U-turns on benefit reform during PMQs, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the chancellor looked “absolutely miserable”, and questioned whether she would remain in post until the next election.

Sir Keir did not explicitly say that she would, and Ms Badenoch interjected to say: “How awful for the chancellor that he couldn’t confirm that she would stay in place.”

In her first comments after the incident, Ms Reeves said she was having a “tough day” before adding: “People saw I was upset, but that was yesterday.

“Today’s a new day and I’m just cracking on with the job.”

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Reeves is ‘totally’ up for the job

Sir Keir also told Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby on Thursday that he “didn’t appreciate” that Ms Reeves was crying in the Commons.

“In PMQs, it is bang, bang, bang,” he said. “That’s what it was yesterday.

“And therefore, I was probably the last to appreciate anything else going on in the chamber, and that’s just a straightforward human explanation, common sense explanation.”

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