The Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law—Dr Jack Simson Caird

The Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law has announced the appointment of Dr Jack Simson Caird as a Senior Research Fellow in Parliaments and the Rule of Law.

In this position, which has been newly created through support from the Legal Education Foundation, Jack will lead the Centre’s programme of work on parliaments and the rule of law, and devise a five-year strategy for establishing the rule of law in parliaments nationally and worldwide. This programme represents a key part of the Bingham Centre’s 2018–2022 strategy titled Proactively Advancing the Rule of Law. He will take up this role from 1 July 2018.

Jack is currently a senior library clerk in the House of Commons Library, where he works as part of the Parliament and Constitution Centre. In this position he primarily focuses on informing Parliament about the domestic constitutional implications of the UK’s upcoming exit from the European Union, and recently took a leading role in advising MPs on the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill.

Commenting on his new position as Senior Research Fellow, Jack said: ‘I am excited to have this opportunity to play a role in realising the Bingham Centre’s new strategy. I have always admired the work of the Bingham Centre, and the new strategy’s focus on democratising the rule of law is something I have long been committed to.

‘Legislative scrutiny can and should play a vital role in promoting and securing rule of law values. Brexit has highlighted the increasing significance of the UK Parliament’s scrutiny of the constitutional implications of the government’s legislative proposals. This fellowship will give me the chance to build a programme of research to demonstrate the practical steps that all parliaments and legislatures can take to promote a democratic vision of the Rule of Law.’

Director of the Bingham Centre Murray Hunt added: ‘We are delighted to have appointed Jack to this central role in the Bingham Centre’s new strategy. Democratising the rule of law is one of the most urgent challenges of our times, as the legitimacy of legal institutions for protecting the rule of law is increasingly challenged… Jack’s expertise in articulating and promoting constitutional values in the political process, his practical experience of how parliaments work in practice, and his proven commitment to promoting a democratic vision of the rule of law, make him perfectly placed to lead the Bingham Centre’s programme of work in this area.’