PM urged to appoint Union relations tsar

EXCLUSIVE: Devolution report calls on overseer for inclusive policies

Boris Johnson has been urged to appoint a Union tsar, move parts of Whitehall to the devolved nations and reform the system used for holding intergovernmental meetings in an as-yetunpublished report on devolution, we can reveal.

The prime minister, who proclaimed himself “minister for the union” upon taking office last year, has been advised to appoint a “very senior Cabinet minister” to oversee the “operational arm” of four-nation relations.

Whitehall policymakers should also be decamped from London to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to ensure “policy takes into account the differences within the country”.

The recommendations are just some of the 40 contained within the Dunlop Review – which has been lying on the prime minister’s desk for eight months.

The review led by Lord Andrew Dunlop, which was set up by Theresa May last July, was tasked with investigating how the Union could be strengthened after MPS concluded relations had “broken down” between the UK and Scottish Government.

A Westminster source, who has seen the review, said: “It examines how you change the mindset in Whitehall, how

“It examines how you change the mindset in Whitehall. WESTMINSTER SOURCE

you get the big departments putting at the forefront of their mind the impact of their policies on the Union as a whole.

“It suggests policy officials should not cluster in Whitehall and recommends moving them out to the devolved nations to engage directly with stakeholders across the country.”

The review, we have been told, makes clear that “there should be a very senior Cabinet minister, in the top echelons of the government, close to the prime minister” overseeing union relations.

The review also spells out that intergovernmental relations “need to be more of a joint endeavour”.

“It needs to be a much more front-footed forum where areas of common interest are actually taken forward together. How do we improve productivity, how do we reduce carbon emissions? These are common issues”, a source said.

The recommendations, if implemented in full, will “help to change the mindset of the government to make it more Union-conscious”.

The decision not to publish the review in full, which was completed in November, has been described as “perplexing” as elements of it are already being implemented.

Tory MP William Wragg, chairman of the Commons constitutional affairs committee, last week said the review should be published as there are “serious questions about the effectiveness of existing mechanisms for consulting and co-ordinating on policy”.

A UK Government spokesperson said: “The government is grateful for the work that Lord Dunlop has undertaken and is carefully considering his report.”

Picture: Kim Cessford. Report author Lord Andrew Dunlop on a visit to Dundee in 2015.