What are the core principles of the UK constitution?

The UK constitution has many core principles that have been established through time.

Firstly, the UK constitution is uncodified which means that, instead of being written in a single document (codified), it is written in a variety of sources. These include conventions, statutes, historical principles and authoritative works, commom law, tradition and its relationship with the EU. Therefore it is not entrenched and is flexible, compared to a codified constitution, such as the US, which is rigid and entrenched.

An entrenched consitution is one that is specially safeguarded against changes, so it has more complex arrangements for amendment than the normal legislative process. However, the UK constitution is not entrenched because it is flexible, therefore it can be amended easily and quickly by Parliament. This is because there are no restrictions on how Parliament can amend the constitution, which comes to an advantage in times of emergency as it doesn't take a long time to change the constitution.

Britain is a constitutional monarchy, which means that many actions are taken in the name of the monarch, but the Queen does not actually make any decisions; she just signs the Royal Assent when a Bill is passed. Before 1688, the monarchy enjoyed the royal prerogative where they had all power over Britain. However, after the 'Glorious Revolution' in 1688, the Crown's prerogative powers have been gradually eroded: passing all law making power to Parliament and then to the head of government (the Prime Minister). Therefore the monarchy now play a largely ceremonial role which is limited by the firm constitutional rules.

Another principle of the UK constitution, is the system of Parliamentary Government where parliamentary accountability is combined with executive power. As a result, Parliament grants authority to government ministers to dominate it and rule the country, and they must be accountable to do so.

Parliamentary sovereignty is another principle of the UK constitution, in which Parliament is the ultimate source of all authority, all law and power within the political system. Therefore there is no higher legal authority than Parliament, meaning that the UK has a one tier legal system; unlike the US where they have a two tier legal system because their constitution is codified and federal.

Party government is a principle of the British constitution where the constitutional system can only operate in the context of party control. In particular, the arrangement concerning the operation of both the cabinet and the House of Commons, depends on the fact that a single political party is in control of the executive branch, and is usually able to control its majority in the Commons. This is completed by that political party winning a majority of seats in the General Election which supports the collective responsibility, mandate and manifesto, government and opposition, and patronage of the government.

Britain is a unitary political system which means that legal sovereignty lies in one place: Parliament. This contributes to the single tier legal system as Parliament has the final say in all political and constitutional matters, even though a great deal of power has been decentralised through devolution.