Books

Robert Blackburn, The Meeting of Parliament: The Law relating to the Frequency and Duration of the
United Kingdom Parliament (Aldershot, Dartmouth, 1990), 114 pp.

Robert Blackburn & John Taylor (eds.), Human Rights for the 1990s: Legal, Political and Ethical
Issues (London: Mansell, 1991), 132 pp., with article by Blackburn on "Legal and Political
Arguments for a United Kingdom Bill of Rights" (Ch. 10, pp.109-120).

Robert Blackburn (ed.), Constitutional Studies: Current Issues and Controversies (London: Mansell,
1992), 190pp., with articles by Blackburn on "The Future of the British Monarchy" (Ch. 1,
pp.1-13) and "Margaret Thatcher's Resignation as Prime Minister" (Ch. 3, pp.32-41).

Robert Blackburn (ed.), Rights of Citizenship (London: Mansell, 1993), 338pp., with articles by
Blackburn on "Citizenship Today" (pp.1-11), "The Right to Vote" (Ch. 4, pp.75-98), and
"Citizenship and the Honours System" (Ch. 15, pp.295-306).

Institute for Public Policy Research, A Written Constitution for the United Kingdom (London:
Mansell, 1993), 286 pp., contributing author and book series editor (Constitutional Reform
Series, Mansell).

Robert Blackburn, The Electoral System in Britain (London: Macmillan, 1995), 487 pp.

Robert Blackburn & James Busuttil (eds.), Human Rights for the 21st Century (London: Pinter,
1997), 168pp., with article by Blackburn on "A British Bill of Rights for the 21st Century"
(Ch. 2, pp.16-59).

Robert Blackburn (ed.), The Crown and the Royal Family, Vol. 12(1) in Halsbury's Laws of
England (London: Butterworths, 4th ed. 1998), pp.3-41.

Robert Blackburn & Raymond Plant (eds.), Constitutional Reform: The Labour Government’s
Constitutional Reform Agenda (Harlow: Longman, 1999), 517pp., with articles by Blackburn on
"The House of Lords" (Ch. 1, pp.9-46), "Electoral Law and Administration" (Ch. 4, pp.82-
108), "Monarchy and the Royal Prerogative" (with Raymond Plant, Ch. 6, pp.139-153), and
"A Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights" (Ch. 18, pp.369-394).

Robert Blackburn, Towards a Constitutional Bill of Rights for the United Kingdom: Commentary and
Documents (London: Pinter, 1999), 1104 pp.

Robert Blackburn & Jörg Polakiewicz (eds.), Fundamental Rights in Europe: The European
Convention on Human Rights and its Member States, 1950-2000 (Oxford University Press, 2001),
1059 pp., with articles by Blackburn on "The Institutions and Processes of the Convention"
(Ch. 1, pp.3-30), "Current Developments, Assessment, and Prospects" (Ch. 4, pp.77-100), and
"The United Kingdom" (Ch. 36, pp.935-1008).

Robert Blackburn & Andrew Kennon (eds.), Griffith & Ryle's Parliament: Functions, Practice and
Procedures (London: Sweet & Maxwell, 2nd ed. 2003), 805 pp.

Robert Blackburn, King and Country: Monarchy and the Future King Charles III (London: Politico's,
2006), 206 pp.
Robert Blackburn (ed.), Constitutional and Administrative Law, Vol. 20 in Halsbury's Laws of
England (London: Butterworths, 5th ed. 2014), 737 pp.

Robert Blackburn, Arianna Carminati & Lorenzo Spadacini (eds.), Parliament as the Cornerstone
of Democracy: Studies on the UK and Italian Parliaments in commemoration of Magna Carta's 800th
Anniversary (King's/Brescia/MC Trust, 2018) 134pp., with article by Blackburn on "The
Nature and Importance of Parliamentary Procedure", chapter 4, pp.45-72.

Robert Blackburn (ed.), Parliament, Vol. 78 in Halsbury's Laws of England (London:

Butterworths, 5th ed. 2018), pp.527-720.

Robert Blackburn (ed.), Crown and Crown Proceedings, Vol. 29 in Halsbury's Laws of England
(London: Butterworths, 5th ed. 2019), pp.527-720).

Robert Blackburn (ed.), The Commonwealth, Vol. 13 in Halsbury's Laws of England (London:
Butterworths, 5th ed. 2021), pp.405-542.

Articles

Robert Blackburn, “The Queen and Ministerial Responsibility”, Public Law (London: Stevens,
1985), pp.361-368.

Robert Blackburn, “Dicey and the Teaching of Public Law”, Public Law (London: Stevens,
1985), pp.679-694.

Robert Blackburn, “Unparliamentary Language”, The Political Quarterly (London: Political

Quarterly Publishing, 1985), pp.396-402.

Robert Blackburn, "Draft Legislation for Electoral Reform in the United Kingdom", Electoral
Studies (London: Butterworths, 1985), pp.175-178.

Robert Blackburn, "House of Lords Reform", Public Law (London: Stevens, 1988), pp.183-
187.

Robert Blackburn, “The Duration of Parliament: Historical Perspectives on the 1911

Amendment to the Septennial Act”, The Journal of Legal History (London: Frank Cass, 1988),
pp.98-106.

Robert Blackburn, “Parliamentary Opinion on a New Bill of Rights”, The Political Quarterly
(London: Political Quarterly Publishing, 1989), pp.469-477.

Robert Blackburn, “The Summoning and Meeting of New Parliaments in the United
Kingdom”, Legal Studies (1989) pp.165-176.

Robert Blackburn, “The Dissolution of Parliament: The Crown Prerogatives (House of

Commons Control) Bill 1988”, Modern Law Review (London: Stevens, 1989), pp.837-840.

Robert Blackburn, “The Constitutional History of the Life of Parliament”, Ch. 1 in R. O.

Plender (ed), Legal History and Comparative Law (London: Frank Cass, 1990), pp.9-22.
Robert Blackburn, “The Public Announcement of General Elections”, Electoral Studies
(London: Butterworths, 1990), pp.226-228.

Robert Blackburn, “Draft Legislation to Incorporate the European Convention on Human

Rights into United Kingdom Domestic Law”, Ch. 5 in J. P. Gardner (ed), Aspects of
Incorporation of the European Convention on Human Rights into Domestic Law (British Institute of
Human Rights/BIICL, 1993), pp.53-61.

Robert Blackburn, “Parliament and Human Rights”, Ch. XI in Dawn Oliver & Gavin
Drewry (eds), The Law and Parliament (London: Butterworths, 1998), pp.174-191.

Robert Blackburn, "A Human Rights Committee for the UK Parliament: The Options",
European Human Rights Law Review (London: Sweet & Maxwell, 1998), pp.534-555.

Robert Blackburn, “The Royal Assent to Legislation and a Monarch’s Fundamental Human
Rights”, Public Law (London: Sweet & Maxwell, 2003), pp.205- 210

Robert Blackburn, “Monarchy and the Personal Prerogatives”, Public Law (London: Sweet &
Maxwell, 2004), pp.546-563.

Robert Blackburn, “The Prerogative Power of Dissolution of Parliament: Law, Practice, and
Reform”, Public Law (London: Sweet & Maxwell, 2009), pp.766-789.

Robert Blackburn, Ruth Fox, Oonagh Gay & Lucinda Maer, Who Governs? Forming a Coalition
or a Minority Government in the Event of a Hung Parliament, (London: Hansard Society & Study of
Parliament Group, 2010), 23 pp.

Robert Blackburn, "The 2010 General Election Outcome and Formation of the
Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition Government", Public Law (London: Sweet &
Maxwell, 2011) pp.30-55.

Robert Blackburn, "Laying the Foundations of the Modern Voting System: The
Representation of the People Act 1918", in Philip Norton (ed.), A Century of Constitutional Reform
(Parliamentary History, 2011), pp.33-52.

Robert Blackburn, "Constitutional Amendment in the United Kingdom", Ch. 18 in

Xenophon Contiades (ed.), Engineering Constitutional Change: A Comparative Perspective on Europe,
Canada and the USA (London: Routledge, 2012), pp.359-388.

Robert Blackburn, "Queen Elizabeth II and the Evolution of the Monarchy", Ch. 10 in Matt
Qvortrup (ed.), The British Constitution: Continuity and Change (Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2013),
pp.165-177.

Robert Blackburn, "Magna Carta and the Development of the British Constitution", The
Historian, Spring 2015, pp.26-29.

Robert Blackburn, "Enacting a Written Constitution for the United Kingdom", Statute Law
Review (Oxford University Press, 2015), pp.1-27.
Robert Blackburn, "The Idea of a British Bill of Rights", Human Rights Law Journal
(Strasbourg: N.P.Engel, 2016) pp.311-323.

Robert Blackburn, "The Abdication of Edward VIII: Legal and Constitutional Perspectives",
Ch. 7 in Matthew Glencross, Judith Rowbotham and Michael Kandiah (eds.), The Windsor
Dynasty, 1910 to the Present (London: Palgrave, 2016), pp.59-194.

Robert Blackburn, "The Politics of Parliamentary Procedure at Westminster", Journal of

International and Comparative Law (London: Sweet & Maxwell, 2017), pp.279-308.

Robert Blackburn, "The Prince of Wales at 70 and the Survival of the Monarchy", Public Law
(London: Sweet & Maxwell, 2019) pp.447-450.

Robert Blackburn, "The Future of UK Constitutional Law", Ch. 22 in Xenophon Contiades

and Alkmene Fotiadou (eds.), Routledge Handbook of Comparative Constitutional Change (London:
Routledge, 2021), pp.369-387.

Robert Blackburn, "The Constitutional Role and Working of the Monarchy in the United
Kingdom", in O. Lepsius, A. Nußberger, C. Schönberger, C. Waldhoff & C. Walter (ed.),
Yearbook of Contemporary Public Law, Vol. 70 (Heads of State) (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2022),
pp.181-202.

Robert Blackburn, “The Politics of Parliamentary Procedure at Westminster Revisited”, in

Marianthi Kalyviotou (ed.), Essays in Honour of Kostas G. Mavrias (Athens: P. N. Sakkoula,
2022), Vol. 1, pp.277-307.

Robert Blackburn, "Enforcing the Conventions of Constitutional Monarchy" in M. Flinders

& C. Monaghan (eds), Questions of Accountability: Prerogatives, Power, and Politics (Oxford: Hart,
2023), pp.155-168.

Robert Blackburn, "The Formal Powers of the Royal Head of State: Terminology, Concepts,
and Practice", U.K. Const. L. Blog, 23 November 2023, at https://ukconstitutionallaw.org.

Parliamentary publications

Robert Blackburn, "Electoral Law and Administration, Some Issues for the Inquiry: The
Expatriate Vote, A New System of Voter Registration, Double or Multiple Registration,
General Election Timing, Candidates: The Age Limit, Candidates: Religious Discrimination,
Reforming the Electoral Deposit, Promoting the Secrecy of the Ballot, Civic Duty Voting, An
Electoral Commission", written evidence for the House of Commons Home Affairs
Committee, Electoral Law and Administration, and oral evidence 2 June 1998, HC (1997-98)
768.

Robert Blackburn, "Parliament and the Legislative Process", written evidence for the House
of Lords Select Committee on the Constitution, Parliament and the Legislative Process, HL (2003-
24) 173, Vol II.

Robert Blackburn, " Strengthening the Role of the Backbencher and Making Better Use of
Non-legislative Time", written evidence for the House of Commons Modernisation
Committee, Revitalising the Chamber: The Role of the Backbench Member, and oral evidence 14
March 2007, HC (2006-07) 337.

Robert Blackburn, "The Draft Constitutional Renewal Bill and the Royal Prerogative",
written evidence for the House of Commons Public Administration Select Committee,
Constitutional Renewal: Draft Bill and White Paper, and oral evidence 24 April 2008, HC (2007-08)
499.

Robert Blackburn, "A British Bill of Rights", written evidence for the Joint Committee on
Human Rights, A Bill of Rights for the UK?, HL (2007-08) 165-II.

Robert Blackburn, "Recall and Dissolution", written evidence for the House of Commons
Modernisation Committee, for its inquiry on the Prime Minister's green paper proposals for
the recall of MPs by constituents and parliamentary consent for the exercise of prerogative
powers including the dissolution of Parliament, unpublished report.

Robert Blackburn, "The 2010 General Election Outcome and Formation of the
Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition Government", written evidence for the House of
Commons Political and Constitutional Reform Committee, Lessons from the Process of Government
Formation after the 2010 General Election, HC (2010-12) 528.

Robert Blackburn, oral evidence for House of Lords Select Committee on the Constitution,
The Government’s Constitutional Reform Programme, 21 July 2010, HL (2010-12) 2010, pp.4-18.

Robert Blackburn, "The Government's Voting and Parliamentary Reform Proposals: Fixed-
term Parliaments Bill", written evidence for the House of Commons Political and
Constitutional Reform Committee, Fixed-term Parliaments Bill, and oral evidence 7 September
2010, HC (2010-12) 436.

Robert Blackburn, "The Rules on Royal Succession: Their Nature, Application, and
Reform", written evidence for the House of Commons Political and Constitutional Reform
Committee, Rules of Royal Succession, and oral evidence 10 November 2011, HC (2010-12)
1615.

Robert Blackburn, "The Queen's and Prince's Consent in the Legislative Process", written
evidence for the House of Commons Political and Constitutional Reform Committee, The
Impact of the Queen's and Prince's Consent on the Legislative Process, and oral private session with
parliamentary officials, House of Commons HC (2013-14) 784.

Robert Blackburn, "Mapping the Path Towards Codifying - or Not Codifying - the UK
Constitution", Part I: Arguments For and Against a Written Constitution; Part II: Three
Illustrative Blueprints: (1) Constitutional Code, (2) Constitutional Consolidation Act, (3)
Written Constitution; Part III: The Preparation, Design and Implementation of a Codified
UK Constitution, 410 pages, special report commissioned and published in House of
Commons Political and Constitutional Committee, A New Magna Carta?, HC (2014-15) 463.

Robert Blackburn, "The Status of Resolutions of the House of Commons", written evidence
for the House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, and
oral evidence 23 October 2018, Status of Resolutions of the House of Commons, 2017-19, HC 1587;
and The Role of Parliament in the UK Constitution: Interim Report on The Status and Effect of Confidence
Motions and the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011, HC (2017-19) 1813.

Robert Blackburn, "The Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011: Retain, Repeal or Reform?", for
the House of Lords Constitution Committee, written evidence October 2019, A Question of
Confidence: The Fixed-term Parliament Act 2011, HL (2019-21) 121.

Media publications

Robert Blackburn, “Europe right or wrong”, Times Higher Education Supplement, 28 February
1992, article on the Spycatcher case and attitudes towards European Court of Human Rights.

Robert Blackburn, “What’s wrong with gongs”, The Times Higher Education Supplement, 26 June
1992, article on the government review of the honours system.

Robert Blackburn, “Hail to the Chief”, The Guardian, 18 March 1997, article on the Prime
Minister's control over the general election date.

Robert Blackburn, “Outlaw the apathetic: people should be obliged to vote, even if they
choose ‘none of the above’”, Times Higher Education Supplement, 15 June 2001, article on the
proposal for compulsory voting.

Robert Blackburn, GMTV television interview (20 minutes), 15 October 2006, on the future
of the Monarchy and prospect of Prince Charles as King.

Robert Blackburn, "No Constitutional Crisis", Letter to The Times, 28 November 2009, on the
Monarch's role in hung Parliament situations.

Robert Blackburn, "What happens next if Theresa May's Brexit deal is defeated?", The Times,
Law Section, 6 December 2018, article on the constitutional scenarios of a major government
defeat in the House of Commons.

Robert Blackburn, "Postponement of the Brexit 'meaningful vote'", Letter to The Times, 12
December 2018, on how Brexit has exposed a need for written UK constitution.

Robert Blackburn, "Article 50, the elite and the 'left behind'", Letter to the Times, 15 January
2019, on how the Prime Minister cannot unilaterally revoke Article 50 in law.

Robert Blackburn, "Newest Royal can never be US President", The Times, 16 May 2019,
article on the dual nationality implications of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's new baby
Archie in constitutional law.

Robert Blackburn, "Real change, not crisis, could come to define the Sussex saga", The Times,
23 January 2020, article on the announcement of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex of their
retirement from royal duties.

Professor Blackburn has frequently been consulted or referred to in media articles and
reporting by others, such as during the Brexit process on the prorogation of Parliament crisis
and Miller No. 2 case in 2019, and on the passing of Queen Elizabeth in 2022 and accession
and coronation of King Charles in 2023.
Government papers

Professor Blackburn has been requested to provide advice on constitutional matters to

government departments including the Cabinet Office on many occasions, generally on
matters of a confidential nature. His commissioned work in the public domain carried out for
UK or international official bodies include the reports he prepared as UK National
Correspondent to the Council of Europe Directorate of Human Rights, Strasbourg, during
his appointment for 25 years, 1983-2008, published in the Yearbook of the European Convention on
Human Rights (Liden, Netherlands: Brill Publishers).

Conference papers

Professor Blackburn has presented academic papers at conferences on UK and comparative

constitutional law issues on many occasions. They include inter alia, "The Crown in the
government formation process: The Netherlands and the UK" for a conference on Monarchy
and Politics in Democratic Systems at the Magdalena Palace, Spain in 2016; on "The Future of
UK Constitutional Law" at a conference on Comparative Constitutional Change at the Centre of
Comparative European Law, Athens, 2018; and on "Church and State in the 21st Century:
Constitutional Considerations" for the Ecclesiastical Law Society annual conference on Church
and State in the 21st Century at Cumberland Lodge, Windsor Great Park, 2019. During a series
of European events to mark the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta in 2015, he delivered
commemorative papers at the Universities of Amiens, Brescia, and Athens, and chaired a
conference on "The Rule of Law, Democracy and Human Rights" at the European Court of
Human Rights building, Strasbourg.