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The British Constitution is not a completely codified one, acts, conventions, certain rules, and regulations are considered constitutional documents. These documents determine the working of the country and impart certain features to this ‘unwritten’ constitution. Some of the most significant features are listed in the following sections: Some important salient features of the British constitution are given below.
The most important feature of the British constitution is unwritten character. There is no written document or precise, which may be called the British constitution. It was really this aspect of the British constitution that led De Tocqueville to remark that the English constitution does not really exist. The main reason for this feature (unwritten constitution) is that it is based on political traditions and conventions and that is why it does not consist of written documents. However, it has some written parts too which include Parliamentary Statues, Historical Documents, Judicial Decisions, and Constitutional Characters.
The British constitution is evolutionary which means that it developed with the passage of time according to development. The constitution of England was never framed by any constituent assembly. No one can claim to be it's other, No precise date of its birth can be given because it is the product of gradual growth and development. Its development is an unbroken continuity of development over a period of more than a thousand years. Its sources are several time are accidental and sometimes by high designs according to development.
The British constitution is a very flexible constitution. It can be passed, amended, and repealed by a simple majority of Parliament. The feature of flexibility depends on the virtue of adjustability and adaptability. This ability of the British constitution enables it to grow with the passage of time and according to new requirements of society. So, due to this it always full fill all requirements that are needed for the betterment of the state and its people.
The constitution of the British has a unitary character as opposed to a federal one. The powers of the British government are vested in the British Parliament, which is a sovereign body. The executive organs of the state are subordinate to it and exercise delegated powers and are answerable to it. There is only one legislature. England, Scotland, Wales, etc. are administrative units and not politically autonomous units.
The British government has parliamentary form.
England has a Parliamentary form of government. The King who is sovereign has been deprived of all his powers and authority. The real functionaries are Ministers who belong to the majority party in Parliament and remain in office so long as they retain its confidence. The Prime Minister and his Ministers are responsible to the legislature for their acts and policies. In this system, the executive and legislature are not separated as in the federal form of government
Parliament is supreme and sovereign in the United Kingdom. Command of law is final no court in the state can challenge the validity of laws
The parliament has two chambers House of Lords and the House of Commons. The house of commons is the lower chamber of parliament that is directly connected with the people. Its papular chamber whose members are directly elected by the peoples of England. The House of Parliament is the upper chamber. It is basically a hereditary chamber and its members are elected by the king/Queen.
Modern legal systems, same like British Constitution, see the rule of law as a fundamental right. The principles of the rule of law are:
The Rule of Law in the British constitution is protected by the fact that judges can only be removed from office for significant misconduct after a procedure in both Houses of Parliament. As a result, the judges are free to make their decisions without any fear or favor.