The 'Black Spider Memos' Case: An Introduction to Constitutional Law

A lecture given at the Cambridge Sixth Form Law Conference in March 2017 by Professor Mark Elliott. The lecture offers a brief introduction to UK Constitutional Law, using the 'Black Spider Memos' case — concerning freedom of information requests in relation to correspondence between Prince Charles and Government Ministers — to illustrate some fundamental points about the UK constitution and about Constitutional Law as a subject. The lecture focusses on the UK Supreme Court's decision in the case, and on the reliance placed by the Justices on two fundamental constitutional principles: the rule of law and the sovereignty of Parliament.