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Jason Loch @jasonloch.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

I'm inclined to agree. I've made a lot of FOI requests over the years, and it's been my experience that independent reviewers almost always uphold the initial decision. Even if reviews are conducted more expeditiously, they still tend to feel like empty formalities rather than meaningful oversight.

Jason Loch @jasonloch.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

TFW you learn that the Cabinet Office hasn't even started the internal review you requested on January 5. 🙃

Jason Loch @jasonloch.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Some further thoughts on ecclesiastical advice. Removing these religious disabilities is consistent with the Royal Supremacy in its modern form. It’s incongruous that Burnham can’t advise on appointments but can vote on Church matters in the Commons. venerablepuzzle.wordpress.com/2026/09/15/e...

Ecclesiastical Appointments and the Royal Supremacy

Since Andy Burnham announced that the Government will pursue a change to the law to allow Prime Ministers of any faith to advise the King on ecclesiastical appointments, a number of people have sug…

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Jason Loch @jasonloch.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

When it comes to these prohibitions, there is no legal definition of a Roman Catholic. That's part of the problem. In theory, these restrictions apply to both the Catholic who attends Mass every week and the Catholic who hasn't set foot in a church since their baptism. Jews face a similar problem.

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Jason Loch @jasonloch.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Andy Burnham has transferred the PM's responsibility for advising the King on ecclesiastical appointments to the Lord Chancellor. As a Roman Catholic, he's legally barred from giving that advice. My thoughts on what happened and what comes next. venerablepuzzle.wordpress.com/2026/09/10/a...

Andy Burnham, the Premiership, and the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829

Andy Burnham announced today that his constitutional responsibility for advising the Sovereign on ecclesiastical appointments has been transferred to the Lord Chancellor. This was necessary because…

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Jason Loch @jasonloch.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I'm starting a new series on my blog. CBAI Spotlight takes a closer look at documents from the Corpus of British Administrative Instruments. First up: a pair of Letters Patent from the Duchy of Lancaster appointing a Chancellor and an Attorney General. venerablepuzzle.wordpress.com/2026/09/09/t...

Two instruments associated with the Duchy of Lancaster

I recently added two documents associated with the Duchy of Lancaster to the Corpus of British Administrative Instruments. Both are Letters Patent under the Seals of the Duchy and the County Palati…

The omission of the Prime Minister's name doesn't matter much in the grand scheme of things, but it would be nice if they went back to including it. In a situation like this, the countersignature clarifies that the King has acted on the advice of a responsible minister. 4/4

It's somewhat rare for the British Prime Minister to countersign a Royal Warrant. It's far more common for one of the Secretaries of State (especially the Justice Secretary) to perform that function. 3/4

The Minister's name was included prior to 2001 so we can see that the Prime Minister normally countersigns. Curiously, examples from the 90s and early 00s put their name above the attestation (it normally goes below). 2/4

The Royal Warrant governing the King's various Awards for Enterprise is a relatively rare example of an instrument that is still published in full in The Gazette. However, the Gazette notice now omits the countersigning Minister's name. 1/4

Jason Loch @jasonloch.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

In 1908, the Lord President of the Council became incapable of discharging his duties. His office was put into commission by Letters Patent, but the sealing of this instrument may have broken the law. venerablepuzzle.wordpress.com/2026/08/12/a...

An Irregular Sealing: The 1908 Commission for Executing the Office of Lord President

In the spring of 1908, the Lord President of the Council, Lord Tweedmouth, experienced a mental health crisis that rendered him unable to discharge the duties of his office. Officials responded by …

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If the King had given the Lord Chancellor general permission to pass grants depending under the Great Seal in the usual manner, a special Warrant for the Doncaster patent would presumably have been unnecessary. This suggests there has been a change in practice. 6/6

Similar Warrants were issued after a Demise of the Crown, though the text was slightly different. But in 2022, the King issued a Warrant to the Lord Chancellor directing him to seal the patent conferring city status on Doncaster that was awaiting sealing when the Queen died. 5/6

This is a puzzling instrument. It refers to various instruments issued by the High Court even though the Lord Chancellor hasn't been a judge for decades. Also, contemporary Warrants for the Great Seal aren't even directed to specific Lord Chancellors any more. 4/6

Errors like these have crept into the text over the years (the first one has been around since at least 2003!). There are other differences such as changes in punctuation that may be deliberate changes to the text. 3/6

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Mahmood's Warrant is virtually identical to the one that Sir John Simon received in 1940. The main difference is that the 1940 version was countersigned by the Home Secretary while the 2024 version was countersigned by Mahmood herself in her capacity as Justice Secretary. 2/6

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Jason Loch @jasonloch.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

When a new Lord Chancellor takes office, there will likely be a number of instruments that are in the process of being sealed. A Warrant from the King allows the new Lord Chancellor to affix the Great Seal to these documents. Here's Shabana Mahmood's Warrant from 2024. 1/6

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Other knighthoods are removed by a Warrant under the seal of the relevant order of chivalry. 2/2

Jason Loch @jasonloch.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Revoking a knighthood requires more than just a Gazette notice. There will also be a written instrument. For a Knight Bachelor, this will be Letters Patent under the Great Seal like these (this is done even if the knighthood wasn't originally conferred by patent). 1/2

Another task in Burnham's in-tray will be advising the King to formally accept the resignations of departing ministers. There used to be separate submissions for each position, but today they seem to be consolidated into one submission (the Thatcher examples are from PREM 5/606).

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The short answer is that it would have been a lot simpler since many of the modern formalities didn't exist yet. Things like appointments were often settled through ordinary correspondence or even conversation rather than formal submissions.

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Non-departmental whips are still included in the main submission.

The Law Officers have their appointments confirmed by Letters Patent (NB: the attached image is the Warrant for the Attorney General's patent rather than the patent itself) and the Paymaster General receives a Warrant under the King's sign manual. 10/10

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However, Letters Patent will formally constitute the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and several junior Whips in Commons as Lords Commissioners of the Treasury. 9/10

The Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Lord Privy Seal used to receive Letters Patent as well, but this is no longer the case. It's not clear when the Chancellor stopped receiving a patent, but the Lord Privy Seal's patent seems to have been discontinued in 1990. 7/10

There can be further formalities. For example, most Cabinet ministers take the official oath before the King in Council, and the Lord Chancellor, the Lord Privy Seal, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the Secretaries of State receive seals at the same time. 6/10

The recipients of these missives can include the Clerk of the Privy Council, the Permanent Secretary at HM Treasury, or the Clerk of the Crown in Chancery [PREM 5/606]. 5/10

If any members of the new administration are going to join the Privy Council, there will be submissions for those appointments as well [PREM 5/606]. The King's approval of all these submissions will kick off a raft of administrative communications from No. 10. 4/10

The reconstitution of the Treasury Board seems to require a separate submission even though these appointments will also be included in the main submission [PREM 5/606]. 3/10

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Later, Burnham will make a formal submission. Current practice seems to favor a single, consolidated submission that includes both senior and junior ministers. The King will initial it to indicate his approval. 2/10

As Prime Minister, Andy Burnham will recommend a range of ministerial appointments to the King. Here's how the process works. First, No. 10 obtains the King's informal approval. Protocol dictates that this should precede any public announcements. 1/10

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Paperwork too since the constitution of the Treasury Board requires a special submission to the Sovereign.

The PCO's position on these matters was set out in a memorandum on the formal resignation and appointment of ministers that can be found in Rodney Brazier's Constitutional Practice. 6/6

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It may seem odd that their appointment as First Lord doesn't begin with their oath of office, but the PCO notes that the official oath is a consequence of an appointment and not the appointment itself. 5/6

Confusingly, although the date of the patent determines when junior Lords of the Treasury take office, the Privy Council Office says a person becomes First Lord the moment they accept the King's invitation to form a government. 4/6

This is likely when the actual hand-kissing will occur. Burnham will also be named in the Letters Patent reconstituting the Treasury Board along with the Chancellor of the Exchequer and several Government Whips in the Commons. 3/6

However, several premiers have said they didn't actually do this during their initial meeting with the Monarch. Burnham will not take an oath of office as PM, but he will take an oath as First Lord of the Treasury at a meeting of the Privy Council. 2/6

The Constitution Society @consoc.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Andy Burnham's appointment as Prime Minister will be a multi-step process that will start when he accepts the King's invitation to form a government. The Court Circular's account of Burnham's audience with the King will say that he kissed hands upon his appointment. 1/6

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Reposted by Jason Loch

What exactly are the powers of an outgoing Prime Minister, and has Sir Keir Starmer’s announcement of the Defence Investment Plan highlighted a constitutional blindspot? Darryn Nyatanga investigates: consoc.org.uk/outgoing-prime-minist…

consoc.org.uk

Can an Outgoing Prime Minister Still Make Major Decisions? - The Constitution Society

Darryn Nyatanga explores the constitutional position of an outgoing Prime Minister and argues there's a blind spot in the powers they possess.

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Jason Loch @jasonloch.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

All of these documents were published in the Queensland Parliament's Hansard at the time of Bryce's appointment. You can read the whole collection here: documents.parliament.qld.gov.au/speeches/spk... 2/2

documents.parliament.qld.gov.au

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Jason Loch @jasonloch.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

I recently stumbled upon a collection of documents relating to the appointment of Quentin Bryce as Governor of Queensland. They include correspondence seeking the Queen's informal approval for the appointment as well as the subsequent formal submission from the Premier. 1/2

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Jason Loch @jasonloch.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

The appointment of a Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead involves a Warrant issued by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Here's the Warrant appointing David Cameron to the office in 2016.

Jason Loch @jasonloch.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

There was no assent in Council, just submissions from the Lord Chancellor that were sent to the Palace along with the Warrants (in 1980, the LC's submission was preceded by a submission from the PM recommending that the Commissioners of the Great Seal should act when the office of LC was vacant).

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Jason Loch @jasonloch.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

For whatever reason, that doesn't seem to be the way things work. The 1979 Commission appears to have been handled in much the same way. Although the Queen signed the Warrant at some point between June 15-21, the Commission was dated June 26.

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Jason Loch @jasonloch.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

The dating of Letters Patent can be flexible. The Warrant for the 1980 Great Seal Commission was submitted to Queen Elizabeth II on February 21. While she signed it by February 26, the subsequent Letters Patent were dated March 6 [LCO 6/3932].

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Jason Loch @jasonloch.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

The List of Business is from SP 45/1/1. The excerpt from the Privy Council Register is from PC 2/91. 4/4