Lascelles Principles in the context of Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011

⭐ Core Definition: Lascelles Principles

The Lascelles Principles are a constitutional convention in the United Kingdom beginning in 1950, under which the sovereign can refuse a request from the prime minister to dissolve Parliament if three conditions are met:

if the existing Parliament is still "vital, viable, and capable of doing its job",
if a general election would be "detrimental to the national economy", and
if the sovereign could "rely on finding another prime minister who could govern for a reasonable period with a working majority in the House of Commons".

The convention was in abeyance from 2011 to 2022, when the sovereign's prerogative power to dissolve Parliament was removed by the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011. Following passage of the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022, which repealed the Fixed-term Parliaments Act, these principles are thought to have been revived.

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Lascelles Principles in the context of Constitutional conventions of the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom has an uncodified constitution. The constitution consists of legislation, common law, Crown prerogative and constitutional conventions. Conventions may be written or unwritten. They are principles of behaviour which are not legally enforceable, but form part of the constitution by being enforced on a political, professional or personal level. Written conventions can be found in the Ministerial Code, Cabinet Manual, Guide to Judicial Conduct, Erskine May and even legislation. Unwritten conventions exist by virtue of long-practice or may be referenced in other documents such as the Lascelles Principles.

View the full Wikipedia page for Constitutional conventions of the United Kingdom

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