Role of The Monarchy

The motion

That the Parliament notes the Coronation of King Charles III on 6 May 2023; believes that this event came at significant public cost and that it raises the question of the place of monarchy in a modern society; notes that the United Kingdom does not have a written constitution and, as a result, considers that the respective roles of the monarch, the House of Commons, the House of Lords, the Scottish Parliament, and the other devolved administrations are all very vague and uncertain, with the default position being that the House of Commons can potentially trump all others; considers that the benefits of a written constitution would be to specify the roles of the parliaments and the Head of State, whether that would be a King, Queen, or President; believes that developing a written constitution would encourage wider debate on the monarchy and would allow aspects of it to be refined, for example, breaking the link with the Church of England and removing religious proscriptions, which, it understands, ban Roman Catholics from inheriting the Crown under the Act of Settlement; hopes to see further debate arise following the Coronation, and notes the historical understanding that the people of Scotland are citizens and are not subjects.

No recorded vote on this motion. Most motions are never debated, and many that are debated are agreed without a division. Vote records are published from 2011.

SNP 4 Green 1

Party shown is each supporter’s party when the motion was published.

No contribution in the Official Report cites S6M-08902 by reference.