A council of nations and English regions is an insult to Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland
Stephen Price
With a backdrop of St George’s cross bunting and the Union Jack, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer met with English mayors to “set up a council for regions and nations”, drawing much praise from the UK press.
The Prime Minister announced that the newly formed government will establish a Council of Nations and Regions – bringing together the Prime Minister, the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales, the First and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, and the Mayors of Combined Authorities
A combined authority (CA) is a type of local government institution introduced in England outside Greater London by the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009.
New Mayors established through this process would be eligible to sit on the Council of Nations and Regions.
Scribbles
During the meeting inside No 10 with 11 regional leaders, including Labour’s London Mayor Sadiq Khan, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, and the only Conservative mayor, Tees Valley’s Lord Ben Houchen, the Prime Minister said: “We will set up a council for regions and nations.
Perhaps revealing too much, and that it’s all just scribbles on red white and blue post-its at present, he said: “Now I don’t want to overly formalise it, but I do want a degree of formality so that it’s a meeting that everybody knows is a meeting where business is done, where decisions are properly recorded and actioned.
“And where people know that we will all be there and we won’t be sending substitutes, or missing the meeting.”
Sir Keir added that the forum would be used to discuss “shared challenges” and “opportunities”.
Kick(start) in the balls
Today, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has pledged to kickstart this new devolution revolution to transfer more powers out of Westminster and into the hands of local people.
In her first letter to local leaders, Rayner will urge regions without devolved power to “partner with the government to deliver the most ambitious programme of devolution this country has ever seen”.
She will invite local leaders in devolution deserts – those with local knowledge and skin in the game – to work together to take on powers in areas like transport, adult education and skills, housing and planning, and employment support.
These new agreements will mean local leaders can make decisions that benefit their communities better, while boosting economic growth and opportunity.
Devolution is central to the government’s mission to boost economic growth, but only around half of the people in England currently benefit from these arrangements.
The letter from the Deputy Prime Minister makes clear that the government’s door is open to areas who want to take on devolution for the first time, with the government committed to encouraging more local authorities to come together and take on new powers.
In the letter, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said: “For too long, Westminster government has tightly gripped control and held back opportunities and potential for towns, cities, and villages across the country.
“Last week, with the Prime Minister, I had the pleasure of meeting the metro Mayors in England. We discussed how to have a proper, grown up conversations around economic growth, and how to deliver that through better housing, skills, and jobs for local people.
“I want to work with more places to help them use these enhanced powers and role – because I want to drive growth in every part of the country. For any area considering it, now is the time to take the plunge and speak to us about how we can work with you to transform your regions.”
Greater Manchester, one of the places where devolution has existed for the longest and powers are deepest, has been one of the UK’s fastest growing areas over the last 20 years and is forecast to grow by more than the national average in coming years.
This has been driven by powers allowing the Greater Manchester Mayor to encourage investment into the city, boost skills, and work towards an integrated transport system.
Growth
In other parts of England, Mayors have played a crucial role in attracting new investment – with major manufacturers such as Boeing and McLaren bringing new jobs to South Yorkshire, while West Yorkshire is now home to the UK’s fastest growing digital industry outside London.
OECD research suggests that if the autonomy of UK cities was to increase to the same level as Helsinki, then productivity would increase significantly.
Agreeing new devolution deals will mark a monumental shift of power away from Westminster into communities – giving those with skin in the game the power to make the best decisions for their people and make a difference to their lives.
The letter comes ahead of the King’s Speech on 17 July 2024, which will build on the momentum of the government’s first week, by setting out how it will make a difference to the lives of working people.
Equal partners?
Writing for the Guardian, Andy Burnham, Greater Manchester Mayor said: “The new council for regions and nations is the gamechanger for which we have been patiently waiting.
“It will mean that Whitehall departments will have to talk to us as equal partners in the running of the country, rather than talk down to us as they have long had a tendency to do.”
So, Scotland and Manchester, Wales and Birmingham, equal partners? The citizens within them, of course, but a country and an English region?
And ‘the country’? Is that England or the UK?
Without wishing to play top trumps or state the absolute obvious, but for the benefit of Starmer and Rayner, English regions and countries are not one and the same.
Whilst stronger regional powers are of course a must, and a move from a London-only-centric powerhouse for the UK is more than welcome, the logic behind gathering leaders of nations together with eleven English Mayors isn’t abundantly clear to me.
Naturally, each of the regions of England are culturally different, but despite best efforts to distance themselves from those pesky Londoners and southerners, these combined authorities are still English, and their populations make up the vast majority of the populations of these isles.
Another platform for Welsh voices to be drowned out? Where do we sign?
So what of the nations? Do they get a bigger, comfier chair at the table than the Mayors? Do they get to wear a taller crown? And why do Mayors outside of England not get to chat around the cold buffet once ‘business is done’?
England needs its own devolved government, and then the leader of that needs to sit down with the other nations of the UK as equals.
Try reset one more time
Burnham himself writes: “In the space of one week, our new government has changed the weather and lifted the mood of the nation. Things are finally moving forward again.
“For the mayors, Whitehall doors that were slammed shut are suddenly springing open. It already feels like a new age of possibility and the dawn of a golden era for English devolution.”
So, a new dawn and golden era for English devolution, but what of the token Celtic cohorts? Were we even asked how this might go down? I can’t quite make it make sense in my head, but my instincts are telling me that I’d rather we weren’t there.
Cross border power houses are an admission of our own country’s ineptitude, if that’s the unspoken aim – we can do much better than that. ‘Build your houses here for your workforce and population crisis there – marvellous idea!’
This new talk shop is a grand thing for a regional mayor, but is an insult to the outnumbered top dogs from the devolved nations.
Anything less than a devolved England sitting at the same table with the other nations of the UK in equal number just won’t cut it.
A council for regions and nations is a positive move for England’s regions, but sounds very much like a downgrade in status for the component countries of the UK, and is a worrying sign for the ‘reset’ relationship we’ve been promised.
Let’s hope our next First Minister has a touch of Drakeford’s stubbornness and integrity about them (they needn’t have balls) and doesn’t just go along with this, whatever it might be – especially since Starmer doesn’t even seem to know what it is himself yet.
A reset between the UK and Welsh Government is long overdue, but this is nowhere near the one that Wales, and indeed the other nations of the UK, asked for.
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It is Labour dogma to promulgate British nationhood. They misunderstand Welsh, Scottish and English nationhood as nationalism and on account of that, inherently suspicious of the political expression of our identities. That they continually force British nationhood makes them nationalists but they try to sell their Unionism as progressive. Pull the other one. I believe that Plaid Cymru has the right constitutional policy. That is sovereign British nation States and a confederal British Union. I’ve discussed this idea with people of all political shades and it is a solution that piques the interest of most liberals and progressives. It is… Read more »
Personally I’d much prefer it if that confederal relationship was through Europe rather than one based in Britain where in all likelyhood England, even devolved, would still dominate. It would merely be a change to remain the same I feel.
That would be the case if it were Federal but we are talking Confederal in the same way as the EU. That should mean the power of veto. I do agree that if this was all within the broader framework of the European Union it would be a great deal better. However, we have close and common histories on these isles. Having a British platform for political cooperation is a good thing provided, of course, that we are in possession of our Statehood.
But it isn’t British nationalism! It’s English nationalism with a cloak on. Everybody outside these shore sees them (English and British) as one. We were played well and truly, and sat back while our ancient identity was slowly taken away from us. And now, we don’t correct them, we accept their Britishness and shout to refers we are “Welsh”. WE ARE NOT!!! We have Alway been British, we are British, and we will always be British! I don’t call this flag 🏴 Welsh! I call it British. The British (Britons) have always been the people of Wales!!!
Yorkshiremen are actually more genetically British than the Welsh. And the English, in general, are mostly British genetically.
The real divide is one of class, not “nationality”. Anti-English sentiment should really be channelled into anti-establishment sentiment.
The majority of people in Northern England are descended from the people of Elmet and Rheged etc, that’s why. But they have long since accepted their Englishness, this about how the countries were founded and how their descended people see themselves. It was founded by Saxons, it’s a Saxon country! You can’t claim it’s British because there were small remnants in the country when it was established. Or claim it’s British because of centuries worth of immigration between the two. Wales is British! England is Saxon. If that’s the claim, then England is as much Indian as it is British!!!
This is nonsense too. Genetics is an interesting subject in its own right but as soon as people begin to apply it to nationhood or questions of identity, personal political bias renders it a steaming pile of codswallop. Class is on more solid ground but Left wingers who think it is the only analysis of importance are missing significant aspects of people’s lived experience.
“Yorkshiremen are actually more genetically British than the Welsh.”
I’m interested in what research you base that opinion on?
Of course we’re British. So are the English. Yes, their British nationalism is that of an anglo-British hue but it is British nationalism from bottom to top because they impose British nationhood over and above Welsh, Scottish and even English nationhood. As for everything else you speak of, it is blood and soil nationalism and I do not subscribe to it.
I thought Plaid Cymru wanted independence, not confederation, which would presumably leave certain key powers at the British level, and thereby defacto with England?
If Cardiff (for example)were to end up with an elected mayor (not currently feasible but not beyond the realms of future possibility), what would happen then? Would Cardiff’s elected regional mayor be sat as an equal alongside the Welsh first minister? The same could apply to Glasgow, Edinburgh or Belfast. It doesn’t work in practice.
Is it an actual rule that the “Metro Mayor” has to cover more than one local authority, since they are described as ‘combined authorities’?
Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales should all have the same powers and with no reduction of current powers. The regions of England should not have greater powers than the nations.
And why not? London alone has almost three times the population of Wales.
Because London does not consider itself to be a nation
Neither do Manchester, Birmingham, the East Midlands and the other regions of England.
London also has nearly 3 times the population of Croatia. Do you want to tell them they’re a region?
Size isn’t everything. History and identity are crucial.
Yep, including regions equates them with equal standing to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. And they aren’t!. This is nothing but saying the quiet part out loud….these politicians see us all as Provinces within a failed Empire. I’m a Proud Briton (British) and I will not shy away from that, especially if we have foreigners trying their hardest to take that identity from us. And they aren’t Immigrants to Britain who are doing it. It’s our nearest neighbours. The UK must end if we seek to preserve not only British (Cymric) Culture but also English, Irish and Scottish.
Another attempt to force the Union and rob Wales of further devolved powers.
These seats at the table won’t be equal because of the differing powers devolved to each. But this willy waving is a distraction from the main issues that need to be sorted at this point. First, there need to be a non-political administrative function dedicated to make sure funding is fair and appropriate to need. Second, there needs to be a binding dispute resolution process so that HS2 can’t happen again. Third, it mustn’t be reversible on a whim by the next Conservative PM. This is a constitutional question because it requires a mechanism where a supermajority of MPs needs… Read more »
Sounds rather patronising, after all, the precusor to the secretary of state for Wales office was the Grand council of Wales made up of Welsh MPs and a rah bag of Welsh Lords and was as effective as a paper umbrella on a wet July monday in Rhyl. This seems to be of the same ilk but more demeaning and a planned negation of Devolution.
The term ‘nations and regions’ is insulting for all sides. It implies that Wales and Scotland are equivalents to Yorkshire, East Anglia or the Midlands, which are regions of another country. Its like saying that New Zealand is an equal to Queensland, Victoria or New South Wales. But is also insulting to the English. Why is it that we in Wales or the Scots are branded ‘anti-English’ because we didn’t cheer them on in the Euros, yet the real anti-English sentiment comes from the politicians? Flying the Cross of St George (not during football tournaments) is frowned upon or labelled… Read more »
The reason why they show a dislike for English culture is a bit different than that of Wales. By forcing all under the umbrella term of British means that English culture would survive, as most of the world have been led to believe they are interchangeable. Whereas the real British culture known as Cymric would fade away over time. This has always been the desired outcome for camouflaged unionists. The complete adoption of Brythonic culture and then the complete erasure of its country of origin. Like a thief covering his tracks, so to speak.
Completely agree – this is designed to take away our status as nations (I’m a Scot) I knew this was on the agenda and saw it coming. The best solution for all of us in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland is to get out of this ‘union’. In the meantime, perhaps our devolved governments should try to create their own council, working together where possible to push against English nationalism.
When Rayner talks about ‘local leaders’ will there be an insistence that all these leaders are democratically chosen? We’ve seen her fawning over a room full of self-appointed ‘community leaders’ in recent weeks.
They’ll be democratically chosen – these are the directly elected mayors of ‘combined authorities’, as long as the process is such that those chosen are the ‘right people’ making sure that party candidate selections don’t allow any of the ‘wrong kind of people’ through.
I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again. It is an outright lie that Labour in recent memory has been good and is good for Wales. This is another example, albeit a big one. This should be driving people to seriously question the stature to which Wales (as well as Scotland and N. Ireland) is held in the union. Maybe it’s seriously time to think about leaving.
The problem with this proposal is that it is top down. It need not be this way. Wales needs to call a Constitutional Convention to write the system we want, to include a Bill of Rights of course
That would be great but unfortunately our Labour representatives are compromised by the (political) philosophical fallacy that the UK is a vehicle for progressivism.
Wales has allowed Labour to represent us for a 100 yrs, a century of decline since coal. Perhaps because we did not see the Exit. We call our own Constitutional Convention like most other countries have done,
And I suppose the Labour AM’s and MP’s will go along with this. Duffing their caps to their English Labour elites.