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Multiple Choice

What is the principle that Parliament can make or unmake any law called?

Parliamentary sovereignty is the principle that Parliament has the ultimate legal authority to make or unmake any law. There is no higher body that can veto an Act of Parliament, and a future Parliament can repeal or amend laws passed before. This idea sits at the heart of the UK’s uncodified constitution and is closely associated with A. V. Dicey’s description of parliamentary supremacy. The other concepts describe different limits on power rather than who holds the ultimate lawmaking authority. The rule of law emphasizes that everyone, including the government, is subject to law, but it doesn’t claim Parliament’s power to legislate is unlimited. Judicial review is about courts checking the legality of decisions and legislation, not about Parliament’s right to shape law. Separation of powers explains how legislative, executive, and judicial powers are distributed, again focusing on institutional roles rather than Parliament’s absolute authority to create laws.

Parliamentary sovereignty is the principle that Parliament has the ultimate legal authority to make or unmake any law. There is no higher body that can veto an Act of Parliament, and a future Parliament can repeal or amend laws passed before. This idea sits at the heart of the UK’s uncodified constitution and is closely associated with A. V. Dicey’s description of parliamentary supremacy.

The other concepts describe different limits on power rather than who holds the ultimate lawmaking authority. The rule of law emphasizes that everyone, including the government, is subject to law, but it doesn’t claim Parliament’s power to legislate is unlimited. Judicial review is about courts checking the legality of decisions and legislation, not about Parliament’s right to shape law. Separation of powers explains how legislative, executive, and judicial powers are distributed, again focusing on institutional roles rather than Parliament’s absolute authority to create laws.