Sir Keir Starmer has said his Labour government will be looking for an “immediate reset” of the relationship between Westminster and the devolved governments.
The prime minister said it was a priority for him to fix the tensions between the Westminster Government and devolved nations, adding that he was looking forward to working alongside leaders from Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales during a tour of the UK.
Speaking in Edinburgh just days before he jetted to Washington in the US for the NATO Summit, Sir Keir said the 37 Labour MPs elected in Scotland would “bring about the change” that people wanted.
Appearing alongside Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, Sir Keir said: “We have this team to be part of a government, sitting on the government benches, all working to deliver for Scotland. This team here, the whole of the Labour Party in government and myself, delivering for Scotland.”
He added: “We govern humbly, saying thank you to every single person in Scotland who put their trust and faith in the Labour Party to bring about the change that they need. To those people who didn’t vote Labour, I want to directly address you too because we will serve the entirety of Scotland, we’ll serve every single person in Scotland because that change matters to everyone and that is how we go forward.”
Sir Keir also said he wanted to “turn disagreement into cooperation” with the SNP administration in Scotland.
But what is devolution? Here is all you need to know:
What is devolution?
Devolution is the decentralisation of governmental power, and is about how parliaments and governments make decisions.
Devolution is the term used to describe the process of transferring power from the centre, this being Westminster, to the nations and regions of the United Kingdom and is derived from the Latin, meaning “to roll down”.
In the UK, devolutions of powers have been granted to the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, the Northern Ireland Assembly and the Greater London and Local Authorities.
The idea is that it gives those serving in those areas, who have greater knowledge of the things that matter, control over what happens. Devolution means that decision-making moves closer to the area and is therefore more democratic.
The UK system of devolution is known as “asymmetric”, and this means that different parts of the UK have different forms of devolution and varying degrees of power.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland now all possess “executive and legislative devolution”, while for example the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan only has executive powers. Combined Authorities and the London Assembly can scrutinise executive decisions but not legislate in the manner of the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly.
When did devolution begin in the UK?
In 1997 after a referendum on devolution, Wales and Scotland voters chose to create a Scottish Parliament and a National Assembly for Wales.
In Northern Ireland, devolution was a key element of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and was supported in a referendum in 1998. The UK Government has also developed decentralisation in England. This is through the transfer of powers, budgets and responsibilities to mayors and through city deals.
Devolution in Scotland
Scotland has two governments, the UK and Scottish governments. Each holds power and responsibility over different things and they work together for the people of Scotland.
After the 1997 referendum, it was in 1999 that the UK Government established a Scottish Parliament and Scottish Executive with power and responsibility over the majority of public services in Scotland. The Scottish Executive was later renamed the Scottish Government.
Matters that have been devolved to Scotland include decisions made on agriculture, education, housing, law and sports but the UK central government will still make decisions on matters including immigration, energy, employment and defence.
Devolution in Wales
After the 1997 referendum result, The National Assembly for Wales met for the first time on May 12, 1999. It was officially opened by the late Queen Elizabeth on May 26 of that year
Wales now has a powerful parliament and government with full control of public services including health, education and local government. But it has fewer devolved powers than Scotland and Northern Ireland. For instance, policing, justice and welfare are still controlled by Westminster.
Devolution in Northern Ireland
Like the other devolved areas, some powers still lie with the UK government. These can be either 'reserved' matters which might transfer to the Northern Ireland Assembly at a future date; or 'excepted' matters which will stay with the UK government indefinitely.
The Northern Ireland Assembly was established as part of the Belfast Agreement (also known as the Good Friday Agreement) in 1998. The Assembly is made up of 90 representatives, known as Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), who come from different political parties and a small number of independent MLAs. Each MLA must identify him or herself as 'Unionist', 'Nationalist' or 'Other'.
Issues on which the Northern Ireland Assembly has full legislative powers are:
- health and social services
- education
- employment and skills
- agriculture
- social security
- pensions and child support
- housing
- economic development
- local government
- environmental issues, including planning
- transport
- culture and sport
- the Northern Ireland Civil Service
- equal opportunities
- justice and policing
Westminster still have the power to decide on matters such as taxation, the Royal succession, international relations and defence.
