Ex-Tory Minister says Senedd should be abolished
Martin Shipton
A former UK Conservative Minister who was one of the most hardline supporters of Brexit has advocated the abolition of the Senedd and the Scottish Parliament.
In doing so, Steve Baker has become the first leading Tory to express such a view publicly.
A former RAF engineer, Baker was the MP for Wycombe in Buckinghamshire from 2010 to 2024. He came to prominence after the 2016 referendum on EU membership which saw a narrow victory for the Leave campaign.
Baker chaired the so-called European Research Group of hardline Tory MPs, allying himself with the likes of Jacob Rees-Mogg who pushed for a hard Brexit.
He became a Minister in the Department for Exiting the EU and oversaw work in Whitehall that led to the UK leaving the European Customs Union.
During an interview with the Institute for Government, a think tank that describes its mission as undertaking research to help make government more effective, it was put to him that during the period when changes resulting from Brexit were being made, there had been quite a strained relationship between the UK government and the devolved nations.
Asked how his department had engaged with the devolved administrations and how that had affected the work of the department and his work as a minister, Baker said: “I would say that from my point of view, the devolution settlement we now have in the UK is unfit for purpose.
“I’m not standing for election so I’m going to say I think we’d be better off reversing the entire devolution settlement. It’s not in the public interest that things should work the way they do. It leads to far too many politicians having far too much voice. It doesn’t really serve the public. “Northern Ireland is a different case because of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement. But in Wales and Scotland, if I genuinely thought that some beautiful ideal of democracy was being upheld by having these more local representatives doing things, then I’d be more supportive. But Wales is being gerrymandered. The NHS there is rubbish. I mean, it’s not good. In Scotland, the SNP is only really interested in breaking up the country, not really governing it. They would collaborate with Sinn Féin.
“It’s just a mess. I am convinced that the public interest would be served by abandoning devolution and just having national government and county councils.”
Baker’s comments raise the issue of whether a future Tory or Reform government might seek to abolish the Senedd, even without a referendum.
Reforms
The issue was addressed recently in an essay called Slouching Towards Cardiff Bay written by NationCymru columnist Desmond Clifford. He pointed out that as the law stands, it would be perfectly possible for the UK Parliament to pass a law that closed the Senedd down, even if that went against the wishes of the people of Wales.
In the essay, Clifford lists a number of reforms he believes should be implemented as soon as possible, the first of which relates to the status of the Senedd.
He writes: “Abolish devolution. Sovereignty for Wales should be held by Senedd Cymru on behalf of the Welsh people. Westminster holding a leash is wrong in principle and in every way objectionable. Sovereignty for Wales belongs to Wales and nowhere else.
“The UK is a voluntary union. Senedd Cymru / the Welsh Parliament should exist by right and in perpetuity in the name of the Welsh people. It should not exist through the goodwill of Westminster and should not be capable of abolition by it. Welsh sovereignty should be reassigned immediately from Westminster to Senedd Cymru.”
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I bet he secretly admired the Soviet Union. No state in human history more centralised than that.
English Tory seeking absolute power over Wales (and Scotland.)
He also, makes a disingenuous argument that proportional representation is “Gerrymandering” which is gibberish as the new voting system is diametrically opposite to Gerrymandering as increases the link between votes cast and people elected. Unlike FPTP you can’t win an overwhelming majority with 35% of the vote.
This is why the Conservatives will never have legitimacy in Wales and will remain in the political wilderness as an English imperialist party.
With so many Tories in Reform they should not have legitimacy in Cymru.
Steve Baker has a profound colonialist attitude towards Wales and Scotland. With 84% of the UK population and MPs, England has virtually total dominance, immense power and a decisive controlling interest over these two countries. He obviously wants this massive ascendancy to continue forevermore. Would he be happy if England was ruled and dominated to this extent by another country more than 4 times its size? Recently opinion polls have shown that people in Scotland and Wales increasingly favour independence for their countries. Therefore Steve’s hope is rather forlorn.
So he basically believes that democratic sovereignty should be the exclusive preserve of parochial English nationalists like him?
So, in Northern Ireland it only works because there is violence? So in Scotland and Wales nobody would kick up a fuss?
Bring back the FWA & MAC!
A better use of his time would be to apologise unreservedly for the disaster of Brexit.
What a childish contribution to the constitutional debate. If something isn’t working well you improve it, you don’t destroy it.
Who cares what this nobody thinks
What a Jeremy rhyming slang he is.
I never like the snivelling creep. Even more reason now to despise the fool. Yet another englishman telling Welsh people that they are unable, or shouldn’t be allowed to govern themselves. What a surprise. Independence NOW (or as soon as humanly possible).
Nurse, Nurse Steve is out of bed again
The Senedd by no means gives us real and genuine democracy, but its a stepping stone, and the closest thing we have to real control over our own affairs.
Supporting the abolition of democracy isn’t just backwards, its disgusting.
It should be a criminal offence to support removal of democracy, but then, the Tories do have a history with crime.
He should read a history book and remind himself what has happened to every country that has had democracy removed.
I very much doubt whether he’ll be capable or useful for either side in a civil war.
‘Hard man of Brexit’ Baker. Why has he not joined the Brexit party yet? Timing is the answer. Biding it until he sees the moment to strike. Watch. The next most dangerous after the hate bigots already ranged within it. An extremist lining himself up for destructionist dominance. They love an ‘ist’ don’t they? Like May with ‘Scottish National-IST Party (no such party).From her on, destructionist extremism. ‘Thou shalt kiss the polished jack boots of our Empire crush’. Do one Steve!