Devolution and the Union 'will dominate next parliament'

Devolution and the Union will dominate the next UK parliament, predict political scientists at University College London, with changes in the constitution rendering the UK "ungovernable".

A new report by the research centre the Constitution Unit at University College London warns the political parties to grasp the issues which may arise from changes resulting from further devolution to the nations and attempts to address English votes for English laws.

English votes on English laws will be difficult to introduce, for technical and political reasons, the paper says, pointing out the coalition government produced four different options, with even the Conservatives failing to agree. 

It also argues reform of the House of Lords would not fix the problem. "Good intergovernmental relations between the UK and devolved governments is far more important than the design of the second chamber," the paper reads.

The report’s lead author Professor Robert Hazell, director of the Constitution Unit, said: “All the main parties are strongly committed to further devolution, in England as well as in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. But no party has thought through the consequences, or the spill over effects from one part of the UK to another. Nor has anyone systematically asked, how much further devolution there can be without starting to undermine the Union. That is what our report set out to do.”

Suggestions laid out by the report include replacing the current Secretaries of State for the devolved nations with a single senior Cabinet minister responsible for devolution and the Union, and a citizens’ convention to take the constitutional debate beyond the limits of the political parties.