How University lecturer's book is making the case for charges - The Malvern Observer

How University lecturer's book is making the case for charges

Malvern Editorial 25th Jul, 2022   0

A MODERNISED impeachment process could have a valuable role to play in the United Kingdom’s governance, according to a University of Worcester lecturer whose latest book explores the subject.

Dr Chris Monaghan’s book Accountability, Impeachment, and the Constitution: The Case for a Modernised Process in the United Kingdom sets out how impeachment could serve a purpose in empowering the House of Commons to safeguard the constitution and also further holding power to account.

Impeachment is the act of bringing a charge (by Parliament or the legislature) against a high-ranking public official. What many people may not know is that impeachment is not a purely American phenomenon and the mechanisms to use it still exist in UK constitution.

In fact, it has historically been used in the UK, though the last case was back in 1806.




“I wanted to explore the topic of impeachment and the constitution as I have a longstanding interest in the accountability of the executive and the operation of political and legal accountability mechanisms,” Dr Monaghan said.

“I argue in my book that there is a case for modernising impeachment and that it could serve a purpose in empowering the House of Commons to safeguard the constitution and place an additional check on the power of the executive.”


The book is available from publisher Routledge and major book retailers.

 

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