Devolved English parliament

This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (December 2022)

This article is part of a series within the Politics of the United Kingdom on the
Politics of England
The Crown Monarch: Charles III Heir Apparent: William, Prince of Wales Republicanism in the United Kingdom
Governance King-in-Council: Charles III Prime Minister: Keir Starmer (L) Deputy Prime Minister: Angela Rayner (L)
Legislative King-in-Parliament: Charles III House of Lords Lord Speaker: The Lord McFall of Alcluith Reform of the House of Lords House of Commons Speaker: Sir Lindsay Hoyle MPs for England Constituencies Regional Affairs Committee
Elections UK General Elections in England 1801 co-option 1802 1806 1807 1812 1818 1820 1826 1830 1831 1832 1835 1837 1841 1847 1852 1857 1859 1865 1868 1874 1880 1885 1886 1892 1895 1900 1906 1910 (Jan) 1910 (Dec) 1918 1922 1923 1924 1929 1931 1935 1945 1950 1951 1955 1959 1964 1966 1970 1974 (Feb) 1974 (Oct) 1979 1983 1987 1992 1997 2001 2005 2010 2015 2017 2019 2024
Judiciary King-on-the-Bench: Charles III Supreme Court President: The Lord Reed of Allermuir High Court of Justice Courts English Law
Regions East of England London East Midlands West Midlands North East North West South East South West Yorkshire and the Humber
Administration History Subdivisions Historic Counties Ceremonial Counties Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties Metropolitan county Non-metropolitan county Greater London Unitary authorities (list) Districts (list) Metropolitan Borough Non-metropolitan District London Borough Combined authorities Mayoral Council for England Civil parishes (list)
Category  England portal Other countries
v t e

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.

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]

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]

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]

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.

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.

• Devolution in the United Kingdom
• Mayoral Council for England
• English nationalism
• English independence
• Asymmetric federalism

• Devolution: A Decade on., Justice Select Committee, 12 May 2009

• Ipsos MORI 2006 Poll - Views on English Devolution - 41% support English Parliament
• Campaign for an English Parliament
• English Commonwealth