Leaked Labour plan for government includes handing devolved governments new tax powers
Labour’s plan for reforming the UK should they be elected at the next General Election includes plans to hand devolved governments new tax powers, according to a leaked draft.
A copy that found its way to the Guardian also includes abolishing the House of Lords and replacing it with an upper house of nations and regions.
Devolved governments would also be given a minimum of three years’ funding certainty to give them certainty for longer-term planning, after the Welsh, Scottish and Northern Ireland governments complained about a lack of economic certainty.
Gordon Brown has been commissioned to undertake the constitutional review by the Labour leader, Keir Starmer.
A Labour spokespersontold the Guardian: “This refers to one of several early drafts. The commission has yet to take a view on all these issues.”
But the plan has already been dealt a blow after research published by the National Centre for Social Research showed little desire in England for a constitutional shake-up.
Their survey suggested that 58% of people in England believe the country should continue to be governed as it is now from Westminster – the highest figure since the beginning of devolution.
Only 18% thought each English region should have its own assembly. Labour’s leaked plan includes an assembly of regions and nations and powers for English mayors on education, transport and research funding.
Devolved governments in England would also be given powers over certain kinds of taxation, such as stamp duty, which Wales and Scotland already possess.
The report says: “England also shows little sign of becoming keener on the idea of devolution for itself – other than not allowing Scottish MPs to vote on English laws, where a procedure that might be thought to address that sentiment has now been withdrawn.
“Finding a set of constitutional arrangements that would satisfy public opinion across the UK appears to have become more difficult.”
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So … it’s a vow, is it?
They’ll be dancing in the streets of Auchtermuchty, tonight, then.
Any chance of us having the same powers as Scotland, or even matching Manchester on police powers.
The English see Westminster as their Parliament. Quite rightly to be fair. It’s why they don’t want to federate England. They’ve never shown any great signs to devolve power to their regions. They seem happy with their central govt and shires model. So it appears that Brown’s model will fall short. Whodathunkit eh? There is no model of a UK with a central govt at Westminster that works. England might want it but neither Wales or Scotland do. Both want autonomy to one degree or another. “Home Rule all round” was the old call. Today, I say “Nation States all… Read more »
It’s not just England they want centralised though.
They also don’t want to allow Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland to have federal powers either.
The pig ignorant, simple-minded folk who only think in absolutes of ‘foreign’ and ‘domestic’ can’t conceive of ties and close cooperation between sovereign states. Scandinavia, Benelux and the like, they’re simply too thick to grasp.
Aye , and if you believe that sir ‘Keith’ starmer would actually deliver any of that then have fun playing with the faeries at the bottom of the garden.
ER…I ask again. is this the same Gordon Brown who foretold untold riches for Scotland in return for a no vote?
The same Gordon Brown who then did not have the courage to defend his Westminster seat?
Surely not……
Why did it need to be ‘leaked’ rather than being open in the first place? What was the need for secrecy? Aren’t we supposed to be an open democracy?
UK Labour devolve more powers to Wales, lol. This is the same party who designed Welsh devolution to fail in 1997. What Wales needs is parity with Scotland not any New Labour false promises written in the political snow using yellow ink.
An upper house for nations and regions could be set up for one parliamentary term. That would be long enough to complete its’ work of transferring all powers to Cardiff and Edinburgh delivering independence without the totally unnecessary and humiliating begging of the master for referenda.
Fine. More devolved powers.
Which can be repealed at the whim of a future Westminster government.
Devolved powers are powers that are on loan.
Only independence offers permanence.
!!!rAdIcAl fEdErALiSm!!!
They are soooo radical. Lol.
So radical, that one state/Land/Canton/province will be five times the size of the other three put together! So achingly radical and unheard of in world politics. The other rad alternative is to carve up the proud nation of England politically and the righteous radicality of it will mean it won’t go down like a fart in church with the natives! The radness of Wales and Scotland being downgraded to equivalent to an English region in this arrangement is too much to bear! Some call this conundrum intractable but they’re just not radical enough!
The Guardian are cheerleaders for the Labour party.
So, one might question why they have decided to publish this if they want their party elected in 2024? This will immediately go down like a lead balloon in England.
Deliberate sabotage perhaps? Or, are they just stupid?
English gov of any strilpe is bad for
Wales.