A Prime Minister in Hospital: the Constitutional Implications

By Prof Gavin Phillipson, Professor of Law (University of Bristol Law School) and Prof Jeff King, Professor of Law (University College London).

Following the news that the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has been taken to hospital for treatment for COVID-19, there has been much discussion about what should happen if he should die or become incapacitated.  Who would take over and how would such a successor be chosen? What is the role of Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, who has been designated to deputise for him in his absence? And how do we find the answers to the above questions, given the UK has no codified Constitution to consult? (more…)