Major Constitutional Reform in the UK

As of this Monday, the English Constitutional Reform Act 2005 is in force.

Some of the major effects of the reform are to:

• define a new role for the Lord Chancellor
• define a new role for the Lord Chief Justice
• create a newly-created independent Judicial Appointments Commission for England and Wales
• create a Judicial Appointments and Conduct Ombudsman
• create an Office for Judicial Complaints

The biggest change is that the UK's Lord Chancellor will no longer combine the roles of the country's senior judge, a government minister and speaker of the House of Lords.

As well, the Act also establishes a new, independent Supreme Court, separate from the House of Lords with its own independent appointments system, its own staff and budget. It should start up in 2009.

The BBC explains more.