When 9 days to go August 04, 2026 at 7:00pm 1 hr
Where ZOOM

The House of Lords Constitution Committee is investigating 'constitutional safeguards', the various ways our democracy is protected from would-be authoritarian leaders.

The problem is, there are almost no safeguards at all. That's what Republic will be telling the Lords in written evidence

It's also what Republic CEO Graham Smith will be discussing on the August episode of Beyond The Royal Headlines.

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Churchill is said to have claimed that Germany would never have had Hitler if they'd kept the Kaiser on the throne. This claim has been used many times over to create the myth of the monarch as protector of democracy and freedom. Yet it simply isn't true.

Monarchs around the world have failed to defend democracy, because their first duty is to defend their throne. In Italy, Greece, Thailand, Cambodia, eSwatini and elsewhere, monarchs have been either useless or complicit in the face of dictatorship and authoritarianism.

In the UK, power has been so centralised in Downing Street that there are few checks on the power of government. The only real check is the willingness of backbenchers to turn on their leader. So if the UK had a MAGA-style prime minister with a slavishly loyal backbench, there's really no protection of our democracy at all.

Find out why and what dangers the UK may face in the future. Join Graham Smith for Beyond The Royal Headlines: The King, the Kaiser and protecting our democracy on Tuesday August 4.

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