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Devolved English parliament

A devolved English parliament is a proposed institution that would give separate decision-making powers to representatives for voters in England, similar to the representation given by the Senedd (Welsh Parliament), the Scottish Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly. A devolved English parliament is an issue in the politics of the United Kingdom.

Public opinion surveys have resulted in widely differing conclusions on public support for the establishment of a devolved English parliament.

Background

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Main article: West Lothian question

The future prospects of a devolved English Parliament have been raised in relation to the West Lothian question, which came to the fore after devolutionary changes to British parliaments. Before 1998, all political issues, even when only concerning parts of the United Kingdom, were decided by the British Parliament at Westminster. After separate regional parliaments or assemblies were introduced in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in 1998, issues concerning only these parts of the United Kingdom were often decided by the respective devolved assemblies, while purely English issues were decided by the entire British Parliament, with MPs from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland fully participating in debating and voting. The establishment of a devolved English parliament, giving separate decision-making powers to representatives for voters in England, has thus become an issue in British politics.

The political parties which are campaigning for an English Parliament are the English Democrats, and the UK Independence Party (UKIP). Since 1997, the Campaign for an English Parliament (CEP) has been campaigning for a referendum on an English Parliament. Despite institutional opposition in Westminster to a Parliament for England, the CEP has had some success in bringing the issue to people's attention, particularly in political and academic circles.[citation needed]

During general elections, all of the single-member constituencies (seats) that constitute the UK Parliament are subject to separate, simultaneous contests, between several candidates. While these constituencies span the entire UK geographically, because of the way that the population of the UK is distributed – i. e. the population of England is greater than that of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales combined – the 533 MPs from English constituencies represent a majority within the House of Commons. Nevertheless, there are often occasions when the votes of MPs from non-English constituencies have proved to be decisive with regard to England-specific legislation (regarding matters that are devolved outside England).[citation needed] (Examples of this phenomenon since devolution include issues with such as foundation hospitals, top-up fees and runways at Heathrow.) To a limited extent, the Scotland Act 1998 has reduced the potential for non-English MPs to form decisive regional blocs – that is, Section 81 of the Act abolished the previous system of apportionment, under which Scottish constituencies required a smaller electoral quota and Scotland was over-represented, relative to the other components of the UK; England now provides more MPs per capita than Scotland.[citation needed]

Surveys of public opinion on the establishment of an English parliament have given widely varying conclusions. In the first five years of devolution for Scotland and Wales, support in England for the establishment of an English parliament was low at between 16 and 19 per cent, according to successive British Social Attitudes Surveys.[1] A report, also based on the British Social Attitudes Survey, published in December 2010 suggests that only 29 per cent of people in England support the establishment of an English parliament, though this figure had risen from 17 per cent in 2007.[2] One 2007 poll carried out for BBC Newsnight, however, found that 61 per cent would support such a parliament being established.[3]

In January 2012 Simon Hughes, the deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, supported calls for a devolved English parliament.[4] While the Conservatives were in government from 2010 to 2015 in coalition with the Liberal Democrats, the coalition government approved the creation of the McKay Commission to look into the question. The Commission proposed that bills in the House of Commons which affected England solely or differently should require a majority vote of MPs representing English constituencies, a system known as English votes for English laws (EVEL).[5]

The Labour Party opposed the idea, arguing that this creates two classes of MPs in the House of Commons, and that a regional approach should be taken, in the form of regional English devolution.[citation needed] However, in July 2015, then Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Chuka Umunna, suggested that the Labour Party should support the creation of a separate English parliament as part of a federal United Kingdom. He also called for a federal structure to the Labour Party with the creation of a distinct English Labour Party.[6]

The Conservative Party manifesto for the 2015 general election included a proposal that England-only legislation should require approval from a Legislative Grand Committee prior to its Third Reading in the House of Commons.[7] Having won a majority in that election, the Conservative government used a change in standing orders in October 2015 to give MPs representing English constituencies a "veto" over laws only affecting England.[8] EVEL was scrapped in July 2021.[9]

In October 2021, a poll by Public First found that 62% of English voters would vote for an English Parliament. Furthermore, an even bigger majority of 'English identifiers' – 72% – want laws that only apply in England to be made by MPs elected in England, whilst 64% of all English voters, including 'British identifiers', thought the same.[10]

In 2002, former prime minister Gordon Brown proposed the establishment of a "Council of England" which would be chaired by the prime minister and would include leaders of combined authorities, the Mayor of London, representatives of local government and other stakeholders in England.[11] The proposed council would be similar to the Council for Wales which existed between 1949 and 1966. In 2024, the new Labour government established an England only forum known as the Mayoral Council for England to bring together ministers from the UK government, the Mayor of London and Mayors of England's Combined Authorities.[12] As the Labour government hopes that combined authorities will be established throughout England, the Mayoral Council would eventually evolve into an all England forum.[13] As of October 2024, 48% of the population and 26% of the land area of England is represented on the Mayoral Council.[14]

Campaigning

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Flag of the Campaign for an English Parliament

Several groups are working to raise this issue of a devolved English parliament, including the Campaign for an English Parliament, the English Constitutional Convention and English Commonwealth. The English Democrats also support the creation of an English parliament. Electoral support for English nationalist parties is low, however, even though there is public support for many of the policies they espouse.[15] The English Democrats gained just 64,826 votes in the 2010 UK general election, accounting for 0.3 per cent of all votes cast in England.[16]

Public opinion

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A 2007 poll of 1,953 people throughout Great Britain carried out for BBC Newsnight, found 61 per cent support among the English for a parliament of their own, with 51 per cent of Scots and 48 per cent of Welsh people favouring the same.[17][18] An earlier ICM poll of 869 English people in November 2006 produced a slightly higher majority of 68 per cent backing the establishment of such a body.[19][20][21][22]

A 2014 poll by Cardiff and Edinburgh universities found that 54% of English people surveyed agreed with a devolved parliament, while 20% neither agreed nor disagreed, 15% disagreed, and 10% were undecided.[23]

Opinion polls

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Polling data for English devolution, English votes for English laws and independence may be found in the table below.

Note: Responses with the plurality of the vote are outlined in bold and are coloured in, those with at least 50% of the vote have more saturated colours.

Date Independence Status quo English
parliament 		English votes
for English laws 		Regional
assemblies 		End devolution Don't know
/none
13/01/12[24] N/A 16% 49% N/A N/A N/A 35%
06/12/11[25] N/A 21% 52% N/A N/A 14% 13%
15/04/10[26] N/A 20% 68% N/A N/A N/A 12%
30/04/09[27] N/A 15% 41% N/A N/A N/A 44%
09/09/09[28] N/A 20% 58% N/A N/A N/A 22%
06/12/07[29] 15% 32% 20% 25% N/A N/A 8%
19/04/07[30] N/A 24.25% 67.32% N/A N/A N/A 8.43%
05/04/07[31] N/A 12% 21% 51% N/A N/A 16%
08/01/07[32] N/A 32% 61% N/A N/A N/A 7%
07/01/07[33] N/A 41.22% 51.42% N/A N/A N/A 7.36%
23/11/06[34] N/A 25.35% 68.43% N/A N/A N/A 6.22%
08/07/06[35] N/A 32% 41% N/A 14% N/A 13%
23/02/06[36] N/A 23.76% 11.88% 46.53% 10.89% N/A 6.93%
07/04/02[37] N/A N/A 47% N/A 28% N/A 25%

British Social Attitudes research

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The British Social Attitudes surveys have collated data on the question of English devolution since 1999, it has given participants three options.[38]

Note: Responses with the plurality of the vote are outlined in bold and are coloured in, those with at least 50% of the vote have more saturated colours.

Date Governed as
it is now 		England to have
its own Parliament 		Each region to have
its own assembly
2020 55% 22% 20%
2018 52% 22% 18%
2015 50% 20% 23%
2013 56% 19% 15%
2012 56% 22% 15%
2011 56% 25% 12%
2010 53% 23% 13%
2009 49% 29% 15%
2008 51% 26% 15%
2007 57% 17% 14%
2006 54% 21% 18%
2005 54% 18% 20%
2004 53% 21% 21%
2003 56% 18% 26%
2002 56% 17% 20%
2001 57% 16% 23%
2000 54% 19% 18%
1999 62% 18% 15%

See also

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References

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Citations

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  1. ^ Hazell, Robert (2006). "The English Question". Publius. 36 (1): 37–56. doi:10.1093/publius/pjj012.
  2. ^ Ormston, Rachel; Curtice, John (December 2010). "Resentment or contentment? Attitudes towards the Union ten years on" (PDF). National Centre for Social Research. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
  3. ^ "'Most' support English parliament". BBC. 16 January 2007. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
  4. ^ Barnes, Eddie (22 January 2012). "Scottish independence referendum: Liberal Democrats deputy leader Simon Hughes calls for English devolution". Scotland on Sunday. Edinburgh: Johnston Publishing Ltd. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  5. ^ "England-only laws 'need majority from English MPs'". BBC News. 25 March 2013.
  6. ^ Wintour, Patrick (22 July 2015). "Chuka Umunna calls for an English parliament and a federal UK". The Guardian.
  7. ^ "Election 2015: PM sets out 'English votes' timetable". BBC News Online. 24 April 2015. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  8. ^ "English vote plan to become law despite objections". BBC News. BBC. 22 October 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  9. ^ "Commons scraps English votes for English laws". BBC News. 13 July 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  10. ^ "'Labour should appeal to English identifiers' as poll shows 62% would vote for English Parliament". October 2021.
  11. ^ Mason, Rowena; Brooks, Libby (4 December 2022). "Labour unveils plan to overhaul constitution and replace the Lords". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  12. ^ "Serving the country".
  13. ^ White, Hannah; Thomas, Alex; Tetlow, Gemma; Pope, Thomas; Davies, Nick; Davison, Nehal; Metcalfe, Sophie; Paun, Akash (26 September 2024). "Seven things we learned from the Labour Party Conference 2024". Institute for Government. Archived from the original on 2 October 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  14. ^ "English devolution". 21 June 2024.
  15. ^ Copus, Colin (2009). "English national parties in post-devolution UK". British Politics. 4 (3): 363–385. doi:10.1057/bp.2009.12. S2CID 153712090.
  16. ^ "Full England scoreboard". Election 2010. BBC News. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  17. ^ "Most 'support English parliament'". BBC. 8 January 2007. Retrieved 16 January 2007.
  18. ^ Newsnight Act of Union poll.
  19. ^ Hennessy, Patrick; Kite, Melissa (27 November 2006). "Britain wants UK break up, poll shows". Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 18 May 2007. Retrieved 5 December 2006.
  20. ^ "68 per cent of English want independence from Scotland". This Is London. 26 November 2006. Archived from the original on 25 May 2007. Retrieved 5 December 2006.
  21. ^ "English tell Scots to go for independence". Scotland on Sunday. 26 November 2006. Archived from the original on 15 July 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2006.
  22. ^ "Poll says majority of British voters support independence for Scotland". International Herald Tribune. 26 November 2006. Retrieved 5 December 2006.
  23. ^ "An English parliament, and an unlikely home for it". BBC News. 22 August 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  24. ^ ICM for the Sunday Telegraph 2012
  25. ^ IPSOS MORI for British Future 2012
  26. ^ ICM for Power2010
  27. ^ Populus for The Times 2009
  28. ^ YouGov for the Jury Team 2009
  29. ^ ICM for Sunday Telegraph 2007
  30. ^ ICM for the Campaign for an English Parliament 2007
  31. ^ YouGov for Sunday Times 2007
  32. ^ OBM for BBC Newsnight 2007
  33. ^ ICM for Daily Mail 2007
  34. ^ ICM for Sunday Telegraph 2006
  35. ^ IPSOS MORI for the English Constitutional Convention 2006
  36. ^ YouGov for the English Democrats 2004
  37. ^ NOP for the Campaign for an English Parliament 2002
  38. ^ "British Social Attitudes Survey 2020" (PDF). 38: 27. Retrieved 16 December 2021. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

Sources

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Further reading

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