Evaluate the view that the need for further English devolution is now overdue

Devolution is the process of devolving powers from Westminster to devolved bodies and it has taken place widely in Scotland, Ireland and Wales yet England has been widely left out which has created an asymmetrical system, therefore this needs to change. Three things to consider when seeing if devolution in England is needed is through more powers for metro mayors, resolving the West Lothian Question and increasing public satisfaction. Ultimately, English devolution would reduce Westminster sovereignty but provide means to deal with local issues and solve the issue of asymmetrical devolution which would lead to the agreement that English devolution is overdue.

Metro mayors were introduced in England in some areas, they have been successful in many ways and it can be argued that it is now necessary for them to be extended across the whole of England and for their powers to be extended to the same extent as the London Mayor. This would allow local areas to have a representative to deal with problems their area is facing. This is of high significance as Westminster can be seen as a ‘bubble’ where nothing is done for local areas. We can also see the successes of metro mayors through Andy Burnham who is the Mayor of Manchester and recently introduced an integrated transport system and brought it under mayoral control and the benefits have been seen by the citizens of Manchester, Johnson was also effective as London Mayor in introducing environmental measures. This highlights how local areas are benefitting from the introduction of metro mayors so further devolution is becoming necessary. However, turnout remains low in devolved assemblies which suggests they are not seen as important to the rest of the public, for example in the London Mayoral election turnout was only 42%. By introducing more devolved assemblies it has created voter fatigue and the public are becoming confused. There is already a lack of political awareness and understanding of our current system, by intensifying the system it is going to confuse the public and be a futile process. However, the fact that only some areas have Mayors is increasingly unfair and needs to be solved so further English devolution is overdue in the form of Mayors. 

Another reason that you could argue that more English devolution is needed is due to the problem of the West Lothian Question. Westminster parliament fosters asymmetrical devolution as it allows Scottish MPs to vote on laws which do not concern them. This has proved very problematic in the past, for example when Blair used Scottish MPs to push through the law that introduced tuition fees in England whilst Scottish university would remain free. There is currently a lot of resentment regarding this and by devolving powers this unfair system would be prevented. However, attempts to deal with this through English Votes for English Laws (EVEL) have been abandoned as they seemed unfair and unnecessary. There is also the argument that there is not a large demand for this issue to be solved and arguably mayors have already satisfied this demand which would make the process of increased devolution futile. Thus it could be argued that further devolution is not necessary, however, whilst it may not be a prominent issue to the public it continues to take place and is unfair for Scottish MPs to vote on issues that don’t concern them and is affecting the unknowing population. Therefore it would be fair to argue that further devolution is overdue.

Finally having a fully fledged English parliament would prevent the asymmetrical devolution which has taken place in Scotland and Ireland. This could consist of mayors from across the country and focus on British issues which would be beneficial to the public as it would allow more of a focused response to local issues. Moreover it could help to resolve the Barnett formula, currently just under £2,000 more per head is spent on the Scots which is completely unfair and something needs to be done to combat this. An English parliament would be the ultimate solution in preventing the continuation of asymmetrical devolution and public spending. However, English MPs already dominate Westminster and it can be argued that there really isn’t a need for another parliament. English MPs would become redundant and it would be a costly, time consuming process, this time and money could be better invested elsewhere. Moreover, England is arguably too small for this level of devolution, we saw the confusion of the COVID tier system and by making regional governance a norm this same confusion would occur. However, it can be argued that English devolution is overdue, as it would combat asymmetrical devolution which is currently a large issue in the UK and help to resolve the spending differences. 

In conclusion, it is important for English devolution to be extended as it is currently increasingly unfair that England have less powers than the devolved bodies in Scotland specifically, and the issue of the Barnett formula is the biggest problem. This can be solved through English devolution and a parliament which is evidently overdue. Whilst there is the argument that this could undermine Westminster, in reality it would only act to compliment it and solve the ever pressing issue of asymmetrical devolution therefore it can be argued that English devolution is long overdue.

Chloe Tame