@ProfMarkElliott

Professor of Public Law, University of Cambridge. Fellow, St Catharine's College, Cambridge. Author of https://xitter.cf/t.co/aswwmsSgnC

 Cambridge, UK
markelliott.org
Joined July 2012
  • Tweets7.9K
  • Following419
  • Followers33.6K
765Media
We're delighted to invite anyone applying to Cambridge or Oxford for undergraduate places to sign up for our upcoming webinars. Organised with @BrasenoseNews, the series will provide advice about preparing for admissions interviews. Sign up: caths.cam.ac.uk/outreach/yea… @Cambridge_Uni
Photo of Main Court at St Catharine's with text reading 'Undergraduate Interview Workshop Webinars. Evenings 6-7pm. 2-16 November 2026'

ALT Photo of Main Court at St Catharine's with text reading 'Undergraduate Interview Workshop Webinars. Evenings 6-7pm. 2-16 November 2026'

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Peter Candy@Pete_CandyAug 17
This building is on the site of the stables from which we get the expression 'a Hobson's choice'. Hobson, the stablekeeper, would give punters a choice of taking the next horse in the stalls or none at all.
St Catharine's College@Catz_CambridgeAug 17
The Hobson's building has been a home to generations of Catz students & almost 100yrs after it was built scaffolding is set to return to this corner of our site. Over 10 months, we're investing in a major refurbishment inside & out: caths.cam.ac.uk/hobsons-proj…. 📸 Tim Rawle & archive
View of St Catharine's College with the Hobson's building in the foreground

ALT View of St Catharine's College with the Hobson's building in the foreground

A black and white photo of the Hobson's building encased in scaffolding

ALT A black and white photo of the Hobson's building encased in scaffolding

A black and white photo of a building site at St Catharine's College showing the construction of the first floors of what would become the Hobson's building

ALT A black and white photo of a building site at St Catharine's College showing the construction of the first floors of what would become the Hobson's building

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Peter Candy@Pete_CandyJun 4
This is an incredible new bursary paying tuition fees and a living allowance for an entire undergraduate degree @Catz_Cambridge for a student living in Scotland. Eligibility requirements in the link. Spread the word Scots!
St Catharine's College@Catz_CambridgeJun 4
With Highers wrapping up this week, students in Scotland have a chance to think about the future. Our Finlay Family Bursary covers undergrad tuition fees & living allowance to encourage Scottish students to apply for & take up the offer of a place at Catz: caths.cam.ac.uk/finlay-famil…

The Finlay Family Bursary for Scottish undergraduates

We are proud to offer this bursary to encourage Scottish students to apply for, and take up, the offer of an undergraduate place at St Catharine’s – an opportunity which would normally involve...

caths.cam.ac.uk
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David Erdos@DavidErdosJun 1
New #dataprotection and #commonlaw systems research position based @TrinityHallCamb & @UCamCIPIL @cambridgelaw. Do you have a relevant legal background & strong research skills? Please do apply! Deadline 22 June. Details at lnkd.in/esbVcMR6
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Daniel Gover@DanielGoverMay 26
🚨Could the Parliament Acts be used to pass assisted dying? As I say in this clip: 🔵 Never previously used on a PMB 🔵 But explicitly intended to apply to PMBs, not just govt bills 🔵 In practice, not straightforward to do, but possible
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Leonie Hughes@LeoBHughes_May 22
Well it’s not everyday you receive a letter from 10 Downing Street. I’m most grateful to @middletemple for forwarding this on to me. What a great end to the week. Thank you very much for the endorsement. @Keir_Starmer @10DowningStreet
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This is the way.
Chris Hoofnagle
@hoofnagleMay 21
Berkeley law has introduced a new, much stricter AI policy law.berkeley.edu/wp-content/…
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Adm. Court Blog@admcourtblogMay 21
Challenging sanctions: public law, Saini-style administrativecourtblog.word…

Challenging sanctions: public law, Saini-style

In a wide-ranging High Court judgment, Saini J considered, and rejected, a number of distinct challenges against the Secretary of State’s decision to impose sanctions on the nephew of an associate …

administrativecourtblog.wordpress.com
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We gave a family of ducks the VIP treatment through Main Court yesterday. Each spring ducklings hatch across Cambridge & porters guide them towards the river – a tradition that we would never want to duck out of! Music: Fluffing a Duck" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
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Really important post on the worrying ways in which the principle of legality is now being used by the courts.
Mark Elliott@ProfMarkElliottMay 19
New post Ismailov v Foreign Secretary: Constitutional revisionism and the principle of legality publiclawforeveryone.com/202…

Ismailov v Foreign Secretary: Constitutional revisionism and the principle of legality

In his judgment in Ismailov v Foreign Secretary, Saini J appears to endorse two incompatible views of the principle of legality. One of those views reconfigures a principle that has traditionally b…

publiclawforeveryone.com
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Admitting students with the greatest academic potential from a broad range of backgrounds is a key part of our new 5-year strategic plan: caths.cam.ac.uk/excellence. Since the plan was published in January we have engaged ~2,400 students from across the UK: caths.cam.ac.uk/widening-par…
St Catharine's College wrought iron gates standing open with Main Court beyond

ALT St Catharine's College wrought iron gates standing open with Main Court beyond

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Excellent post on the House of Lords from Mark Elliott. "To argue that it is incumbent on the House of Lords to wave through Bills approved by the Commons, and that for it to do anything else is unconstitutional or undemocratic, is very far wide of the mark."
Mark Elliott@ProfMarkElliottApr 24
New post – The fall of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: A constitutional outrage? publiclawforeveryone.com/202…

The fall of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: A constitutional outrage?

As prorogation and a King’s Speech approach, the Terminally Ill Adults Bill cannot now be enacted before the end of the current parliamentary session. By blocking the Bill, has the House of Lords c…

publiclawforeveryone.com
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Is it possible to withdraw a peerage nomination? There is a precedent. nortonview.wordpress.com/202…

Withdrawing a peerage nomination

The question of whether a peerage, having been announced, can be withdrawn has recently arisen, with Downing Street apparently believing that this was not possible.  As the Clerks of the House of L…

nortonview.wordpress.com
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Apply by 7 Jan to join our Malaysian & Malay World Studies community: - Tunku Scholarship for Malaysian PhD/MPhil students caths.cam.ac.uk/tunku-schola… - Philip Bowring Scholarship for any postgrads studying Malay World history/geography/culture caths.cam.ac.uk/bowring @liana_chua 1/2
Zheng Hong See in the Sherlock Library at St Catharine's College

ALT Zheng Hong See in the Sherlock Library at St Catharine's College

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Agreed @ProfMarkElliott. Some people are confusing the specific limitations on Lords authority created by the Parliament Act and by a number of conventions with a general supremacy principle. To quote Noel Coward in Blithe Spirit: “they are quite, quite wrong”.
Mark Elliott@ProfMarkElliott8 Dec 2025
No. The specific limits on the House of Lords would be redundant if there was a general requirement that it must always yield to the Commons. The Lords is under no duty to approve a non-manifesto Private Members Bill. See: publiclawforeveryone.com/202…

Would it be constitutionally improper for the House of Lords to block the Assisted Dying Bill?

The Assisted Dying Bill has been approved by the House of Commons. But unless the Parliament Act is invokved, it also needs the approval of the House of Lords if it is to become law. What constitut…

publiclawforeveryone.com
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Lord Sales devoted a recent lecture on the principle of legality to responding to my critique of one of his judgments. Here, I argue that our disagreement ultimately turns on sharply contrasting, and increasingly consequential, visions of the constitution publiclawforeveryone.com/202…

Taking the constitution seriously: A response to Lord Sales

The incoming Deputy President of the Supreme Court devoted a recent lecture to a critique of my commentary on his judgment in the Spitalfields case, highlighting differences between us concerning t…

publiclawforeveryone.com
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Let's take a look at the record of the signatories to this letter:
Paul Brand
@PaulBrandITV6 Dec 2025
NEW: In a joint letter, senior peers including 3 former cabinet secretaries and 3 former Lords speakers have warned peers not to use procedural manoeuvres to thwart the assisted dying bill. With 1,100+ amendments tabled, they warn the reputation of Parliament is on the line.
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A bizarre article in the Sunday Times: “Any attempt by the Lords to block a bill backed by the Commons would breach long-established constitutional conventions”. But there are no applicable conventions here. Lords are free to vote down this Bill. thetimes.com/uk/politics/art…

Peers’ delay of assisted dying bill ‘could lead to constitutional crisis’

Opponents are playing with fire with 1,100 amendments, critics say, as filibuster tactics to defeat Kim Leadbeater’s law ‘threaten the upper chamber’s future’

thetimes.com
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For a former Leader of the House to be community noted for misrepresenting the constitution and respective roles of the two Houses is quite something! Again we see those in favour of this Bill willing to say anything to get this wretched bill on to the statute books.
Harriet Harman
@HarrietHarman21 Nov 2025
Lords role is to scrutinise not to block this bill. It is role of elected MPs to make important public policy decisions. Constitutionally wrong for unelected Lords to frustrate Commons (and go against overwhelming public support for Assisted Dying Bill)
Readers added context they thought people might want to know
There are no formal limits on the Lords' power to reject a private members bill, so Harriet Harmon is incorrect. publiclawforeveryone.com/2025/06/20/wou…
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Mark Elliott retweeted
Dan Hitchens
@ddhitchens21 Nov 2025
1. Lord Falconer, 2017: the Lords has the right to reject a bill which wasn’t a manifesto promise.
Charlie Falconer
@LordCFalconer28 Sep 2017
Without changes reflecting these recommendations I doubt Lords will pass Bill. Govt have mandate to leave EU, not to rewrite constitution. xitter.cf/profmarkelliott/status…
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