Call to create a federal council to represent all UK nations

FORMER Labour Foreign Secretary Lord David Owen has called for the creation of a Federal UK Council to ensure the interests of all four nations and English regions are fully represented after Brexit.

In an article written jointly with former Welsh Labour MPs Gwynoro Jones and Lord Elystan Morgan, and ex-Plaid Cymru candidate Glyndwr Cennydd Jones, Lord Owen said: “Far from being over, national identity, whether it be Scottish, Welsh, Irish or English deserves to be treasured as a binding force, not a divisive one. It all depends on whether we can find the correct balance. A Federal UK Council, modelled on the German Bundesrat, may achieve that balance.

“I suggest a Federal UK Council of 68 members that should involve not only Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but also London and the new city regions with devolved powers. Provision would also be made separately for those who live in areas covered by county councils and unitary authorities. No doubt some of these may wish to develop a regional identity which could lead to separate representation.”

Tomorrow former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown will be in Cardiff to discuss proposals for a constitutional convention.

Lord Owen said: “In light of the Brexit vote, Theresa May has convened talks involving the leaders of the devolved administrations. The Prime Minister could call together this same forum to start an initial dialogue on a Federal UK Council, involving defining terms of reference, participants, and the timing for reporting back from a convention.

“There are complex questions about what constitutes federal legislation and the nature of the mediation procedures between a Federal UK Council and the House of Commons – all much better agreed under a government-led convention.’

Gwynoro Jones said: “With the Brexit result I believe the future lies in a self-governing Wales within a federal UK. We should use the repatriation of powers from the EU to establish a new federal state of equals. Surely the last thing the people of Wales should settle for after Brexit, where maybe new constitutional arrangements are in place for Scotland, is for Wales to be just an annexe of England.

“There are several nations in Europe with populations similar to Wales.”