Two weeks after taking office, the former Mayor of Greater Manchester focused his administration’s attention on the transfer of powers to regional institutions.
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“Ultimately, I think this is starting to point towards a new constitutional settlement,” A. Burnham said over the weekend about his plans to transfer powers.
Calling for the creation of “a new clear set of principles on how this country should be governed,” A. Burnham stated that a written constitution is necessary – he urged for it even before becoming prime minister.
“It is unfair that people have to argue over things that are simply fundamental (…); the absence of a constitution takes powers away from localities in such a situation,” A. Burnham said.
Unlike most countries in the world, the UK does not have a written constitution – the state is governed based on a combination of laws, common law decisions, and agreements.
The pursuit of having a written constitution is quite new – one of the first supporters of this reform was Labour’s Gordon Brown, who served as prime minister from 2007 to 2010.
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A. Burnham worked as a minister in G. Brown’s government.
A parliamentary committee conducted a review for five years and considered the possibilities of codifying the constitution, but in 2015 concluded that there was no clear consensus.
Any serious attempt by A. Burnham to codify the constitution would be a process lasting more than a year, likely requiring a large public inquiry and consultations.
On Friday, A. Burnham announced plans to allow mayors of England’s regions to keep part of the taxes collected in their territories – this is part of his effort to transfer some powers from the highly centralized capital of the country.
The UK, which consists of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, underwent significant constitutional reforms at the end of the 1990s, during which decentralized parliaments were established in Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Belfast.
According to experts, England itself remains one of the most centralized countries in Europe, despite the establishment of several regional mayors and other institutions over the past decade.
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