Sebastian Payne

Sebastian Payne is President of the UK Constitutional Law Association (UKCLA), Barrister of the Inner Temple, Trustee of the Constitution Society and an Associate Fellow of RUSI. He is the Legal Editor of the RUSI series, Documents on British Foreign and Security Policy.

As a RUSI Associate Fellow, Sebastian is helping co-ordinate the London based research of an international and comparative investigation on ‘Command-In Chief: Supreme Military Authority in an Historical and Comparative Perspective’. 

As well as publishing on the law relating to war powers and on anti-terrorism legislation, he is Editor, with Professor Maurice Sunkin, of The Nature of the Crown (Oxford University Press, 1999). 

For Italian publication, he has written:

Payne, S. (2011). The Conflict between Liberty and Security, Oct/Dec 2011, Istituzioni del Federalismo, 32:773-800. 

He has been invited as an expert to give evidence on the royal prerogative, war powers and constitutional reform to several Select Committees at the UK Parliament: 

House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, 12th March 2019, The Role of Parliament in the UK Constitution: Authorising the Use of Military Force

House of Commons Political and Constitutional Reform Committee, 17th October 2013, Parliament's role in conflict decisions: an update

House of Commons Political and Constitutional Reform Committee, 31st March 2011, Parliament's role in conflict decisions. 8th Report of Session 2010-12. HC 923

Joint Committee on the Draft Constitutional Renewal Bill, 21st May 2008, Draft Constitutional Renewal Bill. Report of Session 2007-08. HL Papers 166. HC Papers 551.

House of Lords Select Committee on the Constitution, 7th December 2005 Waging war: Parliament's role and responsibility. 15th Report of Session 2005-06 HL Papers 236.