Staff profile

Aileen McHarg has been Professor of Public Law and Human Rights at Durham Law School since September 2019. Prior to joining Durham she held a Chair in Public Law at Strathclyde University, and before that posts at Glasgow and Bristol Universities.

Her main teaching and research interests lie in UK and Scottish constitutional and administrative law. She publishes widely in these fields, but has particular expertise in devolution and the UK's territorial constitution. Along with Prof Roger Masterman, she is joint general editor of Public Law.

She also researches in energy law and regulation, where her publications focus on questions of energy governance and the promotion and regulation of sustainable energy. 

Professor McHarg welcomes applications for PhD supervision in both of these areas. 

• Administrative law
• Devolution and the territorial constitution
• Energy governance
• Sustainable energy regulation
• UK and Scottish constitutional law

• 2021: Joint General Editor of Public Law:
• 2021: Member of the UK Constitutional Monitoring Group:
• 2020: Research Excellence Framework, Law Sub-Panel Member:
• 2018: Member of the Scottish Government's Expert Panel on Environmental Charges and Other Measures:
• 2018: Co-Chair of the British-Irish Chapter of the International Society of Public Law:
• 2018: Editorial Board Member, Public Law:
• 2016: Executive Committee Member of the UK Constitutional Law Association:
• 2012: Member of the Law Society of Scotland's Constitutional Law Sub-Committee:
• 2010: Editorial Advisory Board Member, Journal of Energy and Natural Resources Law:
• 2006: Member of the Academic Advisory Group to the International Bar Association's Section on Energy, Environment Resources and Infrastructure Law:

Book review

• McHarg, A. (2019). Popular Sovereignty in Early Modern Constitutional Thought. Public Law, 2019(October), 804-806

Chapter in book

• McHarg, A. (in press). Constitutional change and territorial consent: The Miller Case and the Sewel Convention. In M. Elliott, J. Williams, & A. Young (Eds.), https://www.bloomsburyprofessional.com/uk/the-uk-constitution-after-miller-9781509916405/. Hart Publishing
• Mcharg, A. Brexit and its Implications for Democratic Governance in the United Kingdom. In Research Handbook on Law and Democracy. Edward Elgar Publishing
• McHarg, A. (2023). Constitutional Law and Secession in the United Kingdom. In A. Pavkovic, P. Radan, & R. Griffiths (Eds.), Routledge Handbook of Self-Determination and Secession. Routledge
• McCorkindale, C., & McHarg, A. (2021). Litigating Brexit. In O. Doyle, A. McHarg, & J. E. K. Murkens (Eds.), The Brexit Challenge for Ireland and the United Kingdom: Constitutions Under Pressure (260-291). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108966399.014
• McHarg, A. (2021). Giving Substance to Sovereignty: Parliamentary Sovereignty and Parliamentary Effectiveness. In B. Dickson, & C. McCormick (Eds.), The Judicial Mind: A Festschrift for Lord Kerr of Tonaghmore. Bloomsbury
• McCorkindale, C., & McHarg, A. (2021). Constitutional Pathways to a Second Independence Referendum. In E. Hepburn, M. Keating, & N. McEwen (Eds.), Scotland's New Choice: Independence After Brexit. Centre on Constitutional Change
• McHarg, A. (2020). Energy Justice: Understanding the 'Ethical Turn' in Energy Law and Policy. In I. G. del Guayo, D. Lee Zillman, M. F. G. D. Montoya, & J. Juan (Eds.), Energy justice and energy law. Oxford University Press
• McHarg, A. (2020). The Declaration of Arbroath and Scots Law. In K. P. Muller (Ed.), Scotland and Arbroath 1320-2020 : 700 years of fighting for freedom, sovereignty and independence (423-442). Peter Lang. https://doi.org/10.3726/b16812
• McHarg, A., & Nicolson, D. (2019). Judgment: Salvesen v Riddell. In S. Cowan, C. Kennedy, & V. Munro (Eds.), Scottish feminist judgments : (re)creating law from the outside in (410-412). Hart Publishing. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781509923298.ch-18.3
• McHarg, A. (2019). The Future of the United Kingdom’s Territorial Constitution: Can the Union Survive?. In A. Lopez Basaguren, & L. Escajedo San Epifanio (Eds.), Claims for Secession and Federalism: a Comparative Study with a Special Focus on Spain. Springer Verlag
• McHarg, A. (2019). Devolution in Scotland. In J. Jowell, & C. O'Cinneide (Eds.), The Changing Constitution. (9th). Oxford University Press
• McHarg, A. (2018). Unity and Diversity in the United Kingdom’s Territorial Constitution. In M. Elliott, J. Varuhas, & S. Stark (Eds.), The Unity of Public Law? Doctrinal, Theoretical and Comparative Perspectives (279-300). Hart Publishing. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781509915217.ch-014
• McHarg, A. (2016). The Constitutional Case for Independence. In A. McHarg, T. Mullen, A. Page, & N. Walker (Eds.), The Scottish Independence Referendum: Constitutional and Political Implications. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof%3Aoso/9780198755517.003.0005

Edited book

• Doyle, O., McHarg, A., & Murkens, J. E. K. (Eds.). (2021). The Brexit Challenge for Ireland and the United Kingdom: Constitutions Under Pressure. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108966399

Journal Article

• McHarg, A. (online). The Prospects for Scottish Independence in the Aftermath of Brexit
• Aidinlis, S. (2023). Beyond Freedom of Information Legislation: Navigating Access to Government Data for Independent Research in the UK. Public Law,
• Dougan, M., Hunt, J., McEwen, N., & McHarg, A. (2022). Sleeping with an Elephant: Devolution and the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020. Law Quarterly Review, 138, 650-676
• McHarg, A., & Tomkins, A. (2022). Indyref: Off Limits for Now
• McHarg, A. (2021). Can Holyrood Bind its Successors?. Edinburgh Law Review, 25(2), 245-252. https://doi.org/10.3366/elr.2021.0700
• McHarg, A. (2020). The Supreme Court's Prorogation Judgment: Guardian of the Constitution or Architect of the Constitution?. Edinburgh Law Review, 24(1), 88-95. https://doi.org/10.3366/elr.2020.0603
• McHarg, A. (2020). The Model of Territorial Decentralisation in the United Kingdom. Gruppo di Pisa, 2, 65 -88
• McCorkindale, C., & McHarg, A. (2020). Tackling the Covid-19 Pandemic in Scotland. https://doi.org/10.2436/rcdp.i0.2020.3560
• Cairney, P., McHarg, A., McEwen, N., & Turner, K. (2019). How to Conceptualise Energy Law and Policy for an Interdisciplinary Audience: the Case of Post-Brexit UK. Energy Policy, 129, 459-466. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2019.02.022
• McHarg, A., & McCorkindale, C. (2019). The Supreme Court and Devolution: The Scottish Continuity Bill Reference. Juridical Review, 2019(2), 190-197
• McHarg, A. (2018). Navigating without maps : constitutional silence and the management of the Brexit crisis. International Journal of Constitutional Law, 16(3), 952-968. https://doi.org/10.1093/icon/moy068
• McCorkindale, C., McHarg, A., & Scott, P. (2018). The Courts, Devolution and Constitutional Review. University of Queensland law journal, 36(2), 289-310
• McHarg, A., & Mitchell, J. (2017). Brexit and Scotland. British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 19(3), 512 - 526. https://doi.org/10.1177/1369148117711674
• McHarg, A. (2017). Administrative discretion, administrative rule-making and judicial review. Current Legal Problems, 70(1), 267-303. https://doi.org/10.1093/clp/cux011

Newspaper/Magazine Article

• McHarg, A. Analysis

Other (Digital/Visual Media)

• McHarg, A. Devolution: A View from Scotland
• McHarg, A. The Art of Judicial Disguise
• McHarg, A. The Future of the Territorial Constitution Under Labour? The Report of the Commission on the UK's Future
• McHarg, A. The Contested Boundaries of Devolved Legislative Competence: Towards Better Devolution Settlements
• McHarg, A. The Defence of Parliamentary Democracy
• McCorkindale, C., & McHarg, A. (2023). Rescuing the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill? The Scottish Government's Challenge to the Section 35 Order
• McHarg, A. (2022). Securing Scotland's Independence: Moving Beyond Process?
• McHarg, A., & Young, A. (2021). The Resilience of the (Old) British Constitution
• Dougan, M., Hayward, K., Hunt, J., McEwen, N., McHarg, A., & Wincott, D. (2020). UK Internal Market, Devolution and the Union
• McCorkindale, C., McHarg, A., & Mullen, T. (2020). The Continuity Bill is Dead - Long Live the Continuity Bill: Regulatory Alignment and Divergence in Scotland Post-Brexit
• McCorkindale, C., & McHarg, A. (2020). Constitutional Pathways to a Second Scottish Independence Referendum
• McEwen, N., McHarg, A., Munro, F., Cairney, P., Turner, K., & Katris, A. (2019). Brexit and Renewables in Scotland
• McHarg, A. (2019). Devolution at Twenty: Embedding a New Constitutional Paradigm

Other (Print)

• McHarg, A. (2022). The Independence Supreme Court Case Explained - and What Might Happen