Constitutional reform in the United Kingdom is a story frequently framed around the narratives of missed opportunities, executive intransigence and institutional stickiness. Yet in times of flux and uncertainty, matters of the constitution can scale the political agenda at breakneck speed; and as the architecture of the UK teeters on the precipice of potentially fundamental upheaval, it is crucial to locate recent events within the broader history of constitutional reform in order to tease apart the dynamics of stasis and change. This article responds by offering the first complete in-depth analysis of the 2010-15 Coalition Government's record on the constitution, focusing on the gap between rhetoric and reform, and the way in which constitutional traditions have confounded the ability to effectively manage the tensions that exist within the UK's uneasy settlement. In doing so, the article sets out the institutional and ideational factors that have influenced attitudes towards constitutional reform, in particular focusing on the way in which dilemmas of office have confounded meaningful attempts to alter Britain's constitutional fabric. It argues that three critical factors together explain the Coalition's record on the constitution: the clash of constitutional philosophies within the Coalition; the dilemmas with which the Liberal Democrats were confronted in the transition from opposition to government; and, the extent to which the governing norms of constitution effectively neuter attempts to its reform. The findings of this article are therefore salient and significant, providing valuable lessons regarding the tenability of the UK's extant constitutional architecture and the capacity of the Conservative Government to successfully manage and vent the myriad of pressures upon it.Key words: constitution; constitutional reform; coalition government; institutions; ideology 2 Matters of the constitution in the United Kingdom (UK) were once renowned for the sheer paucity of popular and political interest, earning the issue of constitutional reform the unfortunate label of 'a topic for anoraks ' (Bogdanor, 2014). Yet in times of flux and uncertainty, matters of the constitution can scale the political agenda at breakneck speed. This has been readily apparent in recent months as the implications of the 'no' vote in the Scottish independence referendum unfolded and precipitated a range of constitutional conundrums regarding the asymmetry of the Union, which has led commentators to argue that 'the tangled British constitution is again on the verge of significant, unplanned change' (The Times, 2014). Indeed, constitutional affairs were centre-stage in the run-up to the 2015 general election, the debate being dominated by issues including Scotland's relationship with Westminster and Britain's place in Europe; and the newly elected Conservative Government has pledged a package of reforms that could simultaneously witness the repatriation of sovereignty and the dispersal of power across the Union. As the architectur...