About
Mike joined the University of Liverpool in 2010. He completed his undergraduate Law degree at Queens' College, University of Cambridge, and a PhD at the University of Manchester.
Mike's research is in the field of constitutional law, with a particular focus on the UK. His key areas of specialism are parliamentary sovereignty, ministerial responsibility, constitutional reform, and political and democratic approaches to constitutionalism.
Mike’s work on the doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty was the focus of his monograph, Parliamentary Sovereignty in the UK Constitution: Process, Politics and Democracy (Oxford, Hart Publishing, 2015). A paperback edition of this book, with a new preface taking account of major subsequent developments, was published in 2017. Mike gave the keynote lecture at the Oxford Putney Debates 2020 on 'The Future of Parliamentary Sovereignty in a Democratic Constitution'.
Mike also has also published on a range of issues relating to UK constitutional reform, constitutional theory, and the relationship between the UK and the EU. He has written about many of the constitutional implications of Brexit, and engaged with the public and key policymakers to inform the process of UK exit from the EU. Mike has done local, national and international media work (television, radio and print) on the process and implications of Brexit and other constitutional issues. He ran a BA-Leverhulme funded conference on the legacy of the New Labour constitutional reform era with Adam Tucker in 2017, leading to an edited collection The New Labour Constitution: Twenty Years On (Oxford, Hart Publishing, 2022). Mike is also co-author (with Brian Thompson and Adam Tucker) of Cases and Materials on Constitutional and Administrative Law (Oxford, OUP, 11th ed 2014; 12th ed 2017; 13th ed 2021).
Mike was the co-editor of the UK Constitutional Law Association blog for six years from 2020 to 2026. He is a member of the UKCLA executive committee and remains a regular contributor to the blog. From 2026, Mike is a member of the Editorial Committee of the Public Law journal. He is also a co-chair of the GB and Ireland chapter of ICON-S.
Mike engages actively with parliamentary select committee inquiries in his field - his work has been cited in a number of parliamentary reports, and he has given oral evidence to the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee of the House of Commons (2013) and the Procedure Committee of the House of Commons (2017).
Mike's most recent research project has been focused on the changing nature of (and challenges to) ministerial responsibility and political accountability. He is currently writing a book about political responsibility.