Sources of the UK Constitution

The UK constitution is drawn from five main sources. Understanding these sources is essential because, in the absence of a single codified document, the constitution's authority is dispersed across statutes, judicial decisions, customs, scholarly texts, and (historically) European Union law. Each source carries different weight, and tensions between them generate many of the constitutional debates examined at A-Level.

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1. Statute Law (Acts of Parliament)

Statute law is the most important source of the UK constitution. Statutes are laws passed by Parliament and are the highest form of law in the UK legal system. Any constitutional rule contained in a statute takes precedence over other sources.

Key constitutional statutes include: