Jonathan Sumption Interviewed by David Runciman

Historian and former Supreme Court judge Lord Jonathan Sumption looks at the relationship between law, politics, judges, and politicians in a time of crisis fostered by Brexit, the possible break-up of the UK and pandemics.

Sumption says the law sets boundaries for what the government can do in a time of crisis. However, in a country without a written constitution, such as the UK, those boundaries can be hazy. Sumption looks at issues such as the role of the Supreme Court, the use of referenda, and the rise of nationalism, to expose the subtilties, uses, and abuses of legal and judicial intervention.

Sumption was a Supreme Court judge between 2012 and 2018. His books include Trials of the State and several about Medieval history including The Age of Pilgrimage. His book on the Hundred Years War, Divided Houses, won the Wolfson prize. Here he talks to Cambridge University professor of politics David Runciman.