Editing Privy Council (United Kingdom) (section)

=== Term of office ===

Membership is conferred for life. Formerly, the death of a monarch ("[[demise of the Crown]]") brought an immediate dissolution of the council, as all [[Royal prerogative in the United Kingdom|Crown appointment]]s automatically lapsed.<ref>Blackstone, I. 176.</ref> By the 18th century, it was enacted that the council would not be dissolved until up to six months after the demise of the Crown.{{efn|The most recent enactment deferring dissolution was the [[Succession to the Crown Act 1707]] ([[6 Ann. (GB)|6 Ann.]] c. 41).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Browning |first=Andrew |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OCOinB8v94sC&q=6%2520annae%252C%2520cap%252041&pg=PA126 |title=English Historical Documents, 1660–1714 |date=1996 |publisher=Psychology Press |isbn=978-0-415-14371-4 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{UK-LEG|title=Succession to the Crown Act 1707|path=apgb/Ann/6/41/contents}}</ref> Section VIII provided, "... the Privy Council of Her Majesty, her heirs or successors for the Kingdom of Great Britain, shall not be determined or dissolved by the death or demise of Her Majesty, her heirs or successors; but such Privy Council shall continue and act as such by the space of six months next after such demise, unless sooner determined by the next successor to whom the imperial Crown of this realm is limited and appointed to go, remain, and descend; ..." Despite becoming obsolete in 1901, this section remained on the statute book until it was repealed by the Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1973 (c. 39), section 1(1) and Schedule 1 part I.}} By convention, however, the sovereign would reappoint all members of the council after its dissolution.<ref>H.&nbsp;Cox, p. 389.</ref><ref>See, for example, the proclamation following the accession of [[Queen Victoria]] on the death of [[William IV]]: {{cite journal |date=27 June 1837 |title=By the Queen: A Proclamation: Requiring all Persons, being in Office of Authority or Government at the Decease of the late King, to proceed in the Execution of their respective Offices |url=http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/19514/pages/1625 |url-status=live |journal=The London Gazette |location=London |publisher=Francis Watts |issue=19514 |pages=1625–1626 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903010919/http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/19514/pages/1625 |archive-date=3 September 2011 |access-date=7 June 2010}}</ref> In practice, therefore, membership continued without a break.<ref name="gay-p3" /> In 1901, the [[Law of the United Kingdom|law]] was changed to ensure that Crown appointments became wholly unaffected by any succession of monarch.<ref>The Demise of the Crown Act 1901 (1 [[Edw. 7]] c. 5), [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1901/pdf/ukpga_19010005_en.pdf "An Act to amend the Law relating to the Holding of Offices in case of the Demise of the Crown"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091208081010/http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1901/pdf/ukpga_19010005_en.pdf|date=8 December 2009}} (original text), {{UK-LEG|title=Demise of the Crown Act 1901}}. Section 1(1) provides, "The holding of any office under the Crown, whether within or without His Majesty's dominions, shall not be affected, nor shall any fresh appointment thereto be rendered necessary, by the demise of the Crown." The act came into force within six months of the death of Victoria and section 1(2) ensured that no offices were vacated on the subsequent accession of Edward VII. See also commentary in Appendix 2 of the report that preceded the 1973 Act: {{cite book |author=[[Law Commission (England and Wales)|Law Commission]], [[Scottish Law Commission]] |url=http://www.scotlawcom.gov.uk/download_file/view/284/ |title=Statute Law Revision: Fourth Report |publisher=[[Her Majesty's Stationery Office]] |year=1972 |isbn=0-10-151080-2 |location=London |pages=30–55 |access-date=7 June 2010}} (LC 49, SLC 26, Cmnd 5108).</ref>

The sovereign, however, may remove an individual from the Privy Council. Former MP [[Elliot Morley]] was expelled on 8 June 2011, following his [[conviction]] on charges of false accounting in connection with the [[British parliamentary expenses scandal]].<ref>{{cite news |date=9 June 2011 |title=Morley's Privy Council expulsion |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/morleys-privy-council-expulsion-is-first-for-90-years-2294867.html}}</ref><ref name="Morley">{{London Gazette
| issue = 59820
| date = 14 June 2011
| page = 11257
}}</ref> Before this, the last individual to be expelled from the Council was [[Edgar Speyer|Sir Edgar Speyer, <small>Bt.</small>]], who was removed on 13 December 1921<ref name="resignb">{{cite web |author=Rayment, Leigh |date=1 April 2008 |title=Privy Counsellors 1836–1914 |url=http://www.leighrayment.com/pcouncil/pcouncil2.htm |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080926113737/http://www.leighrayment.com/pcouncil/pcouncil2.htm |archive-date=26 September 2008 |access-date=17 September 2008 |quote=Sir Edgar Speyer (struck off 13 Dec 1921)}}</ref><ref name="Speyer">{{London Gazette
| issue = 32547
| date = 12 December 1921
| page = 10123
}}</ref> for collaborating with the enemy [[German Empire]], during the [[First World War]].<ref name="beeb">{{cite web |year=1997 |title=Queen Accepts Aitken's Resignation |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/politics97/news/06/0626/aitken.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041124045548/http://www.bbc.co.uk/politics97/news/06/0626/aitken.shtml |archive-date=24 November 2004 |access-date=12 February 2008 |publisher=BBC |quote=The Queen has accepted Jonathan Aitken's resignation from the Privy Council. [...] Two former disgraced Ministers, John Profumo and John Stonehouse, have also resigned from the Council, but no one has been thrown off since 1921 when Sir Edgar Speyer was struck off for collaborating with the Germans in the First World War.}}</ref>

Individuals can choose to resign, sometimes to avoid expulsion. Three members voluntarily left the Privy Council in the 20th century: [[John Profumo]],<ref name="beeb" /> who resigned on 26 June 1963;<ref name="resigna">{{cite web |author=Rayment, Leigh |date=2 April 2008 |title=Privy Counsellors 1915–1968 |url=http://www.leighrayment.com/pcouncil/pcouncil3.htm |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080926113742/http://www.leighrayment.com/pcouncil/pcouncil3.htm |archive-date=26 September 2008 |access-date=17 September 2008 |quote=John Dennis Profumo (resigned 26 Jun 1963) [...] John Thomson Stonehouse (resigned 17 Aug 1976)}}</ref><ref name="Profumo">{{London Gazette
| issue = 43041
| date = 28 June 1963
| page = 5533
}}</ref> [[John Stonehouse]],<ref name="beeb" /> who resigned on 17 August 1976<ref name="resigna" /><ref name="Stonehouse">{{London Gazette
| issue = 46994
| date = 19 August 1976
| page = 11347
}}</ref> and [[Jonathan Aitken]], who resigned on 25 June 1997<ref name="resign">{{cite web |author=Rayment, Leigh |date=10 September 2008 |title=Privy Counsellors 1969–present |url=http://www.leighrayment.com/pcouncil/pcouncil4.htm |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080607022558/http://leighrayment.com/pcouncil/pcouncil4.htm |archive-date=7 June 2008 |access-date=17 September 2008 |quote=Jonathan William Patrick Aitken (resigned 25 June 1997)}}</ref> following allegations of [[perjury]].<ref name="beeb" /><ref name="Aitken">{{London Gazette
| issue = 54817
| date = 26 July 1997
| page = 4381
|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230927031632/https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/54817/page/4381 |archive-date= 27 September 2023
}}</ref>

So far, four Privy Counsellors have resigned in the 21st century, three in the same year. On 4 February 2013, [[Chris Huhne]] announced that he would voluntarily leave the Privy Council after pleading guilty to [[perverting the course of justice]].<ref>{{cite news |date=4 February 2013 |title=Chris Huhne admits perverting the course of justice |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-21320992 |url-status=live |access-date=29 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190427171537/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-21320992 |archive-date=27 April 2019 }}</ref> [[Lord Prescott]] stood down on 6 July 2013, in protest against delays in the introduction of press regulation, expecting others to follow.<ref>{{cite news |date=6 July 2013 |title=John Prescott quits Privy Council in press regulation protest |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-23213741 |url-status=live |access-date=29 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190409120000/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-23213741 |archive-date=9 April 2019 }}</ref> [[Denis MacShane]] resigned on 9 October 2013, before an [[Old Bailey]] hearing at which he pleaded guilty of false accounting and was subsequently imprisoned.<ref>{{cite journal |journal=London Gazette |issue=60653 |title=Privy Council Office |date=10 October 2013 |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/L-60653-1918210 |access-date=4 May 2022}}</ref><ref name="bbc-20131118">{{cite news |date=18 November 2013 |title=Ex-MP Denis MacShane pleads guilty over expenses |publisher=BBC |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24989402 |access-date=18 November 2013}}</ref> In April 2022, former [[Prime Minister of Jamaica]] [[P. J. Patterson]] resigned to make the case for [[Republicanism in Jamaica|Jamaica to become a republic]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Patterson resigns as Privy Council member |url=http://radiojamaicanewsonline.com/local/patterson-resigns-as-privy-council-member |website=Radio Jamaica News}}</ref>