Brexit divisions

‘Damage’ to devolution

Brexit has already caused “substantial damage” to the UK’s system of devolution, with Westminster accused of having “largely ignored” both Scotland and Northern Ireland.

New research examines the impact of Brexit on the two UK “nations” which voted to remain in the EU in the 2016 referendum.

Dr Kirsty Hughes and Dr Katy Hayward said the Brexit process had “deepened political divisions” in both Scotland and Northern Ireland.

These tensions could be “further exacerbated” if Britain fails to reach a deal with the other European nations over its departure.

The paper highlighted a “striking similarity” between Scotland and Northern Ireland, saying in both nations “political parties’ stances on Brexit have deepened existing divisions”.

In Northern Ireland, Sinn Fein supports Irish unification and opposes Brexit while the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) supports the Union with the UK and Brexit.

Meanwhile in Scotland, the Conservative and Labour parties – albeit not all Labour politicians – support Brexit since the

“Overall, Brexit has already done substantial damage”

EU referendum result and staying in the UK while the SNP opposes Brexit and seeks independence.

“Overall, Brexit has already done substantial damage to the UK’s political system as far as devolution is concerned,” the two experts said in a blog published alongside the research paper. “While the UK Government continues to prioritise keeping its cabinet of rebels united and its majority in Parliament via the support of the DUP, the democratic and policy concerns of the majority view in both Scotland and NI has been largely ignored.”

Dr Hughes and Dr Hayward said throughout the Brexit process the Conservative government had chosen “emphasis on the unitary and centralised nature of UK politics” – highlighting Westminster’s insistence that some powers returning from Brussels return to it rather than to the devolved administrations as an example of this.

Their paper forecast Northern Ireland will secure a differentiated deal “that keeps it closer to the EU than any other part of the UK”. In Scotland, where ministers are pushing to remain in the single market, they said there would not be a “differentiated deal of any kind”.

IMPACT OF BREXIT: Research co-author Dr Kirsty Hughes is a director at the Scottish Centre on European Relations