Staff profile

Nick Kilford is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Durham Law School, working on an Open Research Area funded study on Unwritten Constitutional Norms and Principles led by Professor Se-shauna Wheatle. His research focusses on sub-state government and the interaction between different levels of legislative authority, alongside wider interests in comparative regional government, federalism and public law. In particular, his research is concerned with the ways and extent to which contemporary developments involving the territorial distribution of legislative and governmental power, such as centralisation and decentralisation, exert pressure upon orthodox ideas about, and the principles and rules which govern, the UK’s constitution.

His current research projects consider the role played by unwritten constitutional principles in the interpretation of legislation and in devolution cases. He also writes on the UK Internal Market and the role law derived from the EU continues to play in the domestic legal system. Outside of his academic work, Nick has acted as a consultant on these matters.

Nick is a graduate of Durham Law School (LLB, MJur), and completed his PhD at St Edmund's College, Cambridge with the support of the Cambridge Law Journal PhD Studentship. His PhD thesis concerns the relationship between devolution and parliamentary sovereignty.

Whilst at Cambridge, Nick taught Constitutional Law at Newnham College, Emmanuel College, and at Christ’s College (where he also acted as an admissions interviewer) and supervised on the Norfolk-Cambridge Higher Aspirations scheme at Gonville & Caius College.

Before his PhD, Nick was a research assistant to Professors Roger Masterman and Robert Schütze on their Cambridge Companion to Comparative Constitutional Law and taught UK Constitutional Law at Durham Law School.

Conference Paper

• Kilford, N. (2024, July). The Unwritten Principle of Federalism. Paper presented at ICON-S, Madrid
• Deb, A., & Kilford, N. (2022, December). UKIMA 2020, Devolution and the Nature of Competence. Presented at Undoing Devolution by the Back Door? The Implications of the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020, Swansea University

Journal Article

• Kilford, N. The Market Access Principles and the Subordination of Devolved Competence. Manuscript submitted for publication
• Elliott, M., & Kilford, N. (2024). Nothing to See Here? Allister in the Supreme Court. Edinburgh Law Review, 28(1), 95-102. https://doi.org/10.3366/elr.2024.0875
• Kilford, N. (2023). The Northern Ireland Protocol in the Supreme Court. Cambridge Law Journal, 82(2), 200-203. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0008197323000247
• Elliott, M., & Kilford, N. (2022). The Supreme Court's Defence of Unqualified Lawmaking Power: Parliamentary Sovereignty, Devolution and the Scotland Act 1998. Cambridge Law Journal, 81(1), 4-8. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0008197322000058
• Kilford, N. (2021). Limitation, Empowerment and the Value of Legal Certainty in the Treaty Incorporation References Case. Judicial Review, 26(4), 321-332. https://doi.org/10.1080/10854681.2021.2016295
• Kilford, N. (2019). The Separation of Powers: A Theory for the New Order

Masters Thesis

• Kilford, N. (2019). Divided We Stand: Decentralisation, Federalism and a Union-State. (Dissertation). [Awarding Organisation: Unknown]. https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1681005

Other (Digital/Visual Media)

• Kilford, N. (online). The Supremacy of Retained EU Law: “We’re Lost, but We’re Making Good Time!”
• Kilford, N. (2022). UK Supreme Court Decided that Proposed Scottish Independence Referendum Bill is Outwith Devolved Competence
• Kilford, N. (2022). The Lord Advocate's Reference: The Written Cases
• Deb, A., & Kilford, N. (2022). The UK Internal Market Act: Devolution Minimalism and the Competence Smoke Screen
• Kilford, N. (2022). The UK Internal Market Act and the Power to Make Effective Laws
• Kilford, N. (2021). The UNCRC Reference: What Did We Learn?
• Kilford, N. (2021). The UK Internal Market Act’s Interaction with Senedd Competences: The Welsh Government’s Challenge
• Kilford, N. (2021). Holyrood, Westminster and Constitutional Balance
• Elliott, M., & Kilford, N. (2021). Devolution in the Supreme Court: Legislative Supremacy, Parliament’s “Unqualified” Power, and “Modifying” the Scotland Act

Report

• Kilford, N. (2022). Government Consultation to Reform the Human Rights Act 1998 Call for Submissions – Response. Cambridge Centre for Public Law