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The UK's constitutional arrangements came under considerable strain in 2020 due to the combination of a newly elected government, the pandemic and Brexit negotiations, resulting in much uncertainty and need for high-quality political analysis.

The substantial contribution of Unit Director Professor Meg Russell FBA to such analysis has now beenÌýrecognised by the Political Studies Association through awarding of the prestigious Political Communicator of the Year prize.ÌýAn elected British Academy Fellow, Professor RussellÌýleads the Unit’s work on parliament, and is a Senior Fellow with the ESRC-funded programme in which she leads a project on ‘Brexit, Parliament and the Constitution’.ÌýMeg is also co-investigator of the recently launched ESRC-funded project, ‘Democracy in the UK after Brexit’.

The PSA announcement describes Meg's "powerful and insightfulÌývoice upholding the proper role of parliamentary scrutiny and deliberation as an essential part of a well-functioning political process".Ìý The PSA also recognises her "leadership of the outstanding team at the ×î×¼µÄÁùºÏ²ÊÂÛ̳ Constitution Unit, and the numerous contributions that thisÌýteam has made... to advance public understanding." The Political Communicator awardÌýhas a history in the Unit, with its founder,ÌýProfessor Robert Hazell,Ìýwinning the award in 2009.Ìý

Meg Russell said, on receiving the prize:

“"I'm absolutely delighted to receive this recognition from the PSA for political communications. I and other members of the Constitution Unit have long worked hard to inform real-world political debates, drawing on evidence from high-quality research – and the numerous emerging constitutional and political controversies of recent years have certainly kept us busy! In a post-Brexit environment it’s particularly important for the UK to reflect carefully on how best to maintain and strengthen its democracy. We will seek to continue contributing constructively to those reflections, through research, events, publications of various kinds, and direct engagement with policymakers and the media."

Some of Meg Russell’s notable recent political communications include:

• a discussion on the state of democracy in the UK as part of the 'Democracy in the UK After Brexit' project in the most recentÌýepisode of the ‘Ìý±è´Ç»å³¦²¹²õ³Ù.
• speaking at a jointly-organised Constitution Unit and UK in a Changing Europe webinar on , with her contribution later appearing on the ;
• a report co-authored with Dr Daniel Gover on why the House of Commons should govern its own timeÌýwhich was mentioned by in parliamentary debate, commented upon by in a Conservative Home article, and discussed by Meg in an edition of the ;
• speaking at a webinar organised by the Mile End Institute on ;
• ²¹Ìý with Lisa James highlighting government's sidelining of parliament during the pandemic which was quoted in major news outlets such as and , and in a House of Commons ;
• ³ó±ð²¹»å¾±²Ô²µÌýa joint letter to expressing concerns that the Leader of the House of Commons' ending of hybrid arrangements breachedÌýfundamental democratic principles, more fully expanded on the ;
• expert evidence to the Constitution CommitteeÌýin the House of LordsÌýand Procedure CommitteeÌýin the House of Commons on the constitutional and procedural implications of COVID-19;
• quotation in the and the Ìýof Meg's outlining the problems caused byÌýa bloated House of Lords following the Prime Minister's appointment of 36 new peeragesÌýin July 2020;
• ²¹Ìý, written jointly with Director Ruth Fox,Ìýon the challenges and trade-offs parliament might face while transitioning to ‘virtual’ working during the COVID-19 pandemic which was quoted in major outlets such as theÌý, and also appeared on ;
• quotation in an article by about the possibility of parliament being shut down at the early stages of the pandemic;
• an edited report on Brexit and Parliament, jointly with the UK in a Changing Europe;
• an article for in the run up to the Labour Party’s leadership contest on the role of members in party leadership elections;
• a discussion ofÌýwhat was to be expected of the then newly-elected Conservative-majority government in terms of Brexit on an episode of theÌýUK in a Changing Europe’s podcast.

Key links

• You can find record of the Unit's media activity in our newsletter, Monitor. See all previous issues here
• 'Brexit, Parliament and the Constitution' project page
• 'Democracy in the UK after Brexit' project page.Ìý