UK constitution reform is ‘unfinished business’
The UK constitution must be reformed to protect devolution from the impact of Brexit, former Scottish First Minister Jack Mcconnell has said.
Lord Mcconnell, who headed the government in Edinburgh for six years, said the British state had failed to adapt to 20 years of devolution and needed to change, particularly if the UK leaves the EU and powers in devolved areas are shared between governments.
The ex-scottish Labour leader said he disagreed with comments last week from former Prime Minister Tony Blair, who suggested the purpose of devolution was to preserve the Union.
“I don’t agree with the premise of Tony’s interview, that this should be judged on whether [devolution] saves the Union or not,” Lord Mcconnell said at the launch of a report by the Institute for Government to mark the 20th anniversary of devolution.
“This is not about saving the Union. This is about good governance for Scotland and good governance for the UK, and our judgements should be based on that, not on the politics of whether or not we’ve managed to shift the balance of power between political parties or political movements.”
Lord Mcconnell called for a ‘UK Council of Ministers’ with joint authority over areas like agriculture and fishing to be put into law, resolving an ongoing dispute over post-brexit powers.
“A point that’s important to reflect on after 20 years is whether the UK has changed enough … if there’s unfinished business to be done, then that unfinished business is over here [in London] rather than in Edinburgh,” he said.
“I don’t think the UK state has changed enough to understand, deal with and reflect the post-devolution Britain that we now live in.”