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Act 2015
REFORM OF THE UNITED KIN GDOM OF GREAT
BRITAIN AND N ORTHERN IREL AND
INTRODUCTION
PART 1
Celebration of Britishness Reform
1. On 11 November 2017, Britain will become a reformed State under the
new constitution set out in Part 2 of the Act.
2. Thereafter the enactment of 11 November 2015, there shall become a public holiday known as Celebration of Britain Day on 11 November each year
dedicated to those who sacrificed their lives for the protection of the State and
the liberties of its citizens.
PART 2
Constitution
Sovereignty
4. In the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the people
are sovereign subject to the rights and responsibilities of this Act and its subordinate Acts, and for connected purposes.
Nature of Sovereignty
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5. In the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the people
have the sovereign right to self-determination and to choose freely the Federal
Government or the Devolved Government in which the reformed State is to
be constituted and how they are governed.
6. All State power and authority accordingly derives from, and is subject to,
the sovereign will of the people, and those exercising State power and authority are accountable for it to the people.
7. The sovereign will of the people is expressed in the constitution and, in accordance with the constitution and laws made under it, through the peoples
elected representatives, at referendums and by other means provided by law.
8. The sovereign will of the people is limited only by the constitution and by
the obligations flowing from international agreements to which the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland or its Federation is or becomes a party on the peoples behalf, in accordance with the constitution and
international law.
Constitutional Change
11. The Written Constitution of the reformed State shall be the subject of a referendum on 11 November 2015, upon which the Acts identified shall have effect.
13. The Federal State of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern
Ireland (Untied Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) may enter
into international agreements, and become a member of international organisations, in that name subject to the Written Constitution.
15. Untied Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is an independent, constitutional monarchy.
Head of State
18. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth is to be Head of State, as Queen.
19. Her Majesty is to be succeeded as Head of State (and as Queen or, as the
case may be, King) by Her heirs and successors to the Crown according to law.
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20. Her Majesty, and Her successors to the Crown, continue to enjoy all the
rights, powers and privileges which, according to law, attached to the Crown
in Untied Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland immediately before the reformed State; subject to the Written Constitution and or provision
made by Act of the Federal Parliament of Untied Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland.
Legislature
21. Legislative power to make and modify the common law applied to the reserved matters of the Federal Parliament of Untied Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland (Federal Parliament) continues to be vested in the Federal Parliament.
22. Legislative power to make and modify the law within the matters devolved
to the Devolved Parliaments continues to be vested in the Devolved Parliaments.
23. The Parliaments powers are subject to the written constitution and the enactment of the Constitutional Reform Act 2015 and its subordinate Acts.
Executive
24. Executive power to administer and govern on reserved matters, under the
Constitutional Reform Act 2015, of the Federal Parliament of Untied Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Federal Parliament) continues
to be vested in the Federal Government.
25. Executive power to administer and govern on devolved matters, under the
Constitutional Reform Act 2015 and its subordinate Acts, to the Devolved Parliaments continues to be vested in the Devolved Governments.
26. The Parliaments powers and Governments powers are subject to the written constitution and the enactment of the Constitutional Reform Act 2015
and its subordinate Acts.
28. The Federal Government and the Devolved Governments, and its members are accountable to the respective Parliaments and, through the Parliaments as their elected representatives, to the people.
Juridicial
29. All members of the judiciary are to be independent, and free from any external influence or control, in carrying out their judicial functions.
31. The Supreme Court of Justiciary of Federal State of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the final court of appeal in all
matters. Each country in the federation can refer matters to the Supreme
Court for final determination. The Supreme Court shall ensure that there is a
common judicial framework which balances and considers all matters referred
to it under the constitution of the Federal State. The act of federal reconciliation of difference in devolved laws and jurisdiction, applying the principles of
fairness, equity and accountability shall be known as British Law and the exclusive jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. Acts of Federal Parliament which
have effect across the Federation will be referred to as British Law.
32. Each of those Courts is, within its respective area of competence, the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court shall be based in Newcastle.
33. Accordingly, no appeal lies against the decisions of the Supreme Court to
any other court or tribunal, and the decisions of the Supreme Court are not
subject to review by any other court or tribunal.
34. This section does not affect the jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the
European Union, the European Court of Human Rights or any other court or
tribunal established under an international agreement to which the Federation
is a party.
36. Every person is accordingly subject to, and must act in accordance with,
that principle.
39. There is to be an English civil administration to serve the devolved government to be based in Manchester. Further provision about the English civil administration is to be made by Act of the English Parliament.
40. There is to be a Welsh civil administration to serve the devolved government to be based in Swansea. Further provision about the Welsh civil administration is to be made by Act of the Welsh Parliament.
41. There is to be a Federal civil administration to serve the Federal Government to be based in Wolverhampton and its functions are constitutionally limited to reserved matters. Further provision about the Federal civil administration is to be made by Act of the Federal Parliament.
42. All members of the civil administrations are to act with integrity, honesty,
objectivity and impartiality.
46. Each Regional government is to represent and promote the social and economic interests of the people living within the local area.
47. The members of each Regional Government are to be elected in accordance with law
48. In this section, the Regional area means the area for which the Regional
Government is the executive.
British citizenship
49. The following people automatically hold British citizenship, namely
(a) all those who, immediately before the enactment of the Constitutional Reform Act 2015, hold British citizenship and
either
(i) are habitually resident in the Federation at that time, or
(ii) are not habitually resident in the Federation at that time but were born in
Federation,
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(b) any person born in the Federation on or after the enactment of the Constitutional Reform Act 2015 if either of the persons parents, at the time of the persons birth (i) holds Federation citizenship, or either of the persons parents, at
the time of the persons birth, holds Federation citizenship, and (ii) the persons
birth is registered in the Federation.
50. A person holding Federation citizenship may also hold other nationalities
or citizenships at the same time.
International organisations
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53. The Federal Government may take whatever steps it considers appropriate
to secure that the Federation maintains membership of any international organisation.
a) the Federal Government has laid a copy of the agreement before the Scottish, English, Welsh and Northern Ireland Parliaments in accordance with the
constitution, and
55. That does not apply to any international agreement ratified in relation to
the Federation before the Constitutional Reform Act 2015 and by which the
Federation, as Reformed State, continues to be bound on or after such an enactment in accordance with international law.
57. Such agreements take direct effect in British Law only to the extent provided by Act of the Federal Parliament.
European Citizenship
60. A person holding British citizenship is also, in accordance with Article 20.1
of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, a citizen of the
European Union.
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62. British law is of no effect so far as it is incompatible with those rights and
fundamental freedoms.
63. The Federal and Devolved Government and public authorities must, in carrying out their functions, respect and comply with those rights and freedoms.
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65. Those rights and freedoms have effect for the purposes of this Act as they
have effect for the time being in relation to the Federation.
66. In this section, the Convention means the Convention for the Protection
of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, agreed by the Council of
Europe at Rome on 4 November 1950.
Part 3
Equality
67. Every person in the Federation is equal before the law and has equal entitlement to its protection and benefit.
69. The Federal and Devolved Governments and public authorities must, in
carrying out their functions, seek to promote and secure equality of opportunity for every person in the Federation regardless of personal characteristics.
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70. In this section, the references to personal characteristics include (as well as
other characteristics)
1. age,
2. disability,
3. gender reassignment,
4. marriage or civil partnership,
5. pregnancy or maternity,
6. race,
7. religion or belief,
8. sex,
9. sexual orientation,
10. social and economic poverty.
Childrens wellbeing
72. The Federal and Devolved Governments and public authorities must, in
carrying out their functions, seek to safeguard, support and promote the wellbeing of the children of the Federation. In subsection (1), children are people who have not attained the age of 18 years.
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The environment
74. Every person is entitled to live in a healthy environment.
75. Accordingly, and in recognition of the importance of the environment to
the people of the Federation, the Federal and Devolved Governments and public authorities must, in carrying out their functions, seek to protect and enhance the quality of the environment. In particular, they must seek to promote (a) the conservation of biodiversity, (b) measures to tackle climate
change.
Natural resources
76. The Federations natural resources are to be used in a manner which is(a)
best calculated to be sustainable, and (b) of economic, social, environmental
or other benefit to the people of Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland in accordance with the constitution.
Permanent Constitution
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77. The Federal Parliament must, as soon as the enactment of the Constitutional Reform Act 2015, make provision by Act of the Parliament for the establishment of an independent Constitutional Commission of Authority to be
charged with the task of enacting the following subordinate legislation on behalf of the people of the Federation:
78. The Constitutional Reform Act 2015 must include provision for the Constitutional Commission of Authority to be established, with legal powers, finance, resources and to begin its task, as soon as possible after the Act is enacted.
79. The Act must also include provision about (a) the membership of the
Commission of Authority, (b) the funding of, and administrative support for,
the Authority, (c) the time by which the Authority is to complete its task, free
from the direction or control of the Federal Government or any of its mem19
bers, and Federal or Devolved Parliaments in existence prior to the Act or its
members.
Part 4
Continuity of laws
80. The laws that are in effect in Federation and Devolved Parliaments immediately before enactment of the Constitutional Reform Act 2015 are to continue to have effect on and after enactment unless and until they are (a) repealed or modified by Act of the Federal Parliament or subordinate legislation,
or (b) otherwise modified by operation of law.
81. Following enactment, all law shall be subject to British Law and that is subject to the constitution.
82. The laws referred to include any law, whether contained in a rule of law, an
Act of the Federal Parliament, its predecessors, an Act of the Parliament of
the United Kingdom, an Act of the Parliaments of Scotland passed before the
Constitutional Reform Act 2015 or in 1707, subordinate legislation, a prerogative instrument or any other instrument or document having the effect of law.
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Part 5
Commencement
84. The Constitutional Reform Act 2015 shall be enacted on 11 November
2017 and this day shall be a public holiday known as Celebration of Britishness Day and each year thereafter on the same day.
Short Title
85. The short title of this Act is the State Reform Act 2015.
END
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