United Kingdom Confederation

A United Kingdom Confederation refers to the concept of proposed constitutional reform, that the countries of the United Kingdom; England, Scotland, Wales, as well as Northern Ireland as separate sovereign groups or states pool certain key resources within a confederal system.[1]

For other proposals for Constitutional reform, see Constitutional reform of the United Kingdom. For a proposed federation, see Federalism in the United Kingdom.
Map of the countries of the UK; England (red), Scotland (blue), Wales (green), Northern Ireland (yellow).

Concept

The concept of a confederal UK may include the following:

  1. The individual sovereignty of Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
  2. The national parliament of each country represented in a Confederal Assembly where matters such as freedom of movement, residence, employment in neighbouring countries would be subject to negotiation.
  3. Joint budgetary funds raised annually and contributed by each member country as an agreed proportion of GDP. Each country operates their own tax systems and their own bank, but together may agree on a common currency.
  4. The confederation is defined by an agreed treaty which includes references to e.g. internal trade, currency, defence, foreign relations.
  5. Each decision made by the confederal assembly must be individually implemented in each country's government.
  6. Each country has independent legal jurisdictions and a supreme court.[2]

It has also been suggested that the House of Lords should be replaced with a senate elected by the assemblies/pariaments of constituent countries.[3]

Confederal UK proposals

By academics

Gerald Holtham, Hodge Professor of Regional Economy at Cardiff Metropolitan University, also outlined his support for a confederal UK in an article for the think tank Compass.[4]

Prof Jim Gallagher, of the Institute of Legal and Constitutional Research at the University of St Andrews, has produced a paper discussing his support for a confederate UK. Gallagher was the UK government's most senior adviser on devolution and constitutional matters. He worked on the number 10 policy unit under Gordon Brown.[5]

In 2019, Noel Biggar, Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology, University of Oxford, suggested it was time to form a British Isles confederation, also replacing the House of Lords with a senate elected by the assemblies/parliaments of constituent countries.[3]

A League-Union of the Isles

In March 2022, Glyndwr Jones of the Institute of Welsh affairs produced a document "A League-Union of the Isles" discussing constitutional options for the UK with a preface by former first minister of Wales Carwyn Jones. The author presents multiple potential constitutional options for the UK/UK nations including: devolution, federalism, confederalism, confederal-federalism, sovereignty within the EU and independence. The author settles on confederal-federalism, a union of sovereign nations that stands between federalism and a confederation, with an agreed confederal treaty between national parliaments, which jointly form a "Council of the Isles". The proposed union would include the following:

  • Rights of movement, residence and employment in any nation within the union
  • Each nation would have its own legal jurisdiction in addition to a "Supreme Court of the Isles"
  • A common currency and a central "Bank of the Isles"
  • Each nation would have its own tax regimes and contribute a proportion of their GDP to the "Council of the Isles"
  • Defence, foreign policy, internal trade, currency, large scale economics and "Isles affairs" governed by the "Council of the Isles"
  • Each nation holds 4 seats at the UN general council and one collective seat at the UN Security Council [6]

By politicians

In a House of Lords Constitution Committee, "Inquiry into the Future Governance of the UK", Dr Paul Anderson suggests that further research is merited for a federal or confederal UK. He notes that this may, "contrary to the current dominant opinion among pro-Union political elites, create an even looser union". He also suggests that the SNP's campaign for independence prior to the 2014 independence referendum included "hallmarks" of a confederal UK.[7]

Northern Ireland

Professor Brendan O'Leary of the London School of Economics has noted that an element of a confederacy already exists between the UK nation of Northern Ireland and the independent state of Ireland. Following the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, the north–south ministerial council (of the island of Ireland) was established which is responsible for 12 policy areas.[8]

References
  1. "A new model for the UK?". Institute of Welsh Affairs. 2019-10-11. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
  2. "A new model for the UK?". Institute of Welsh Affairs. 2019-10-11. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
  3. "Times Letters: Independence, nationalism and confederation". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  4. "The British Confederation of States". Compass. 2021-02-01. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
  5. Gallagher, Jim. Could there be a "Confederal" UK? (PDF).
  6. Trust, Federal (2022-03-28). "A League-Union of the Isles - Book Recommendation". The Federal Trust. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  7. "Dr Paul Anderson – written evidence (FGU0011)".
  8. O'Leary, Brendan (1998). The British-Irish Agreement: Power-Sharing Plus (PDF). The Constitution Unit School of Public Policy (UCL).
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