This essay will examine the different reforms established by New Labour and any impact they have had on British politics. New Labour enacted multiple reforms in its term from 1997-2007, from introducing independence to the Bank of England (1998) to The Human Rights Act 1998. Devolution seems to be the biggest element of the reform programme that made the most significant change to British politics. Many of the reforms have had some impact but none to the scale that devolution has.
One of the changes New Labour made to the constitution was the reform of the House of Lords. The House of Lords Act 1999 had the House of Lords reduced by nearly a half with non-hereditary members rising from 41% to 87% (Ludlam & Smith, 2004:129). This impacted British politics in terms of democracy as this was seen as a big shift to a more representative state due to many of the hereditary members being Conservative (Ludlam & Smith 2004: 161)(Russell 2011: 16). However, it did warrant an even more asymmetric relationship between the House of Lords and the Commons which could have other implications. The Lords suffered …show more content…
British politics is not what it was 20 years ago. Elements of New Labours constitutional reform programme such as The Human Rights Act 1998 have had some impact in affecting the sovereignty of parliament; yet in recent news there have been plans to replace it (Stone 2015). On the other hand, devolution has opened up space for other political parties to be recognized and consequently impacted the voting turnout for what were once the two main political parties (Conservative and Labour) that have governed the UK. Although evidence supports the fact that many elements have had some effects on British politics, it is clear to see that devolution has had the most impact despite minor
One of the changes New Labour made to the constitution was the reform of the House of Lords. The House of Lords Act 1999 had the House of Lords reduced by nearly a half with non-hereditary members rising from 41% to 87% (Ludlam & Smith, 2004:129). This impacted British politics in terms of democracy as this was seen as a big shift to a more representative state due to many of the hereditary members being Conservative (Ludlam & Smith 2004: 161)(Russell 2011: 16). However, it did warrant an even more asymmetric relationship between the House of Lords and the Commons which could have other implications. The Lords suffered …show more content…
British politics is not what it was 20 years ago. Elements of New Labours constitutional reform programme such as The Human Rights Act 1998 have had some impact in affecting the sovereignty of parliament; yet in recent news there have been plans to replace it (Stone 2015). On the other hand, devolution has opened up space for other political parties to be recognized and consequently impacted the voting turnout for what were once the two main political parties (Conservative and Labour) that have governed the UK. Although evidence supports the fact that many elements have had some effects on British politics, it is clear to see that devolution has had the most impact despite minor