F13: Reversing the Centralisation of Power in Whitehall

Submitted by: 12 Members.
Mover: Christine Jardine MP (Spokesperson for the Cabinet Office and Scotland).
Summation: Wendy Chamberlain MP (Chief Whip in the Commons).

Conference believes that:

1. This Government has devalued many of the democratic principles that underpin our constitution.
2. Ensuring power is spread as widely as possible is a fundamental principle of liberalism.
3. Power has been shifted away from devolved administrations and local communities, moving instead towards the Executive in the past few years faster than ever before.
4. The union of the four nations of the United Kingdom should be a partnership of equals.

Conference notes that:

1. This Government has a history of changing norms and unlawful behaviour, including the prorogation of Parliament in 2019 which was found to be unlawful by the Supreme Court.
2. The Queen's Speech introduced a Bill to use secondary legislation more liberally, taking power away from Parliament and putting it directly into the hands of Secretaries of State.
3. Multiple Bills introduced by the Conservatives, including the Internal Market Bill, Subsidy Control Bill and Procurement Bill, are overriding areas of devolved authority.
4. The Government's Elections Act 2022 has given the Executive power over the previously independent Electoral Commission.
5. The Government has spent over £500 million in four years on lawyers to block legitimate freedom of information requests in the past.

Conference calls on the UK Government to:

1. Introduce a duty on the Government to ensure Legislative Consent Motions are passed by the Devolved Administration before Parliament can legislate on a devolved issue.
2. Create a regular, transparent and statutory Ministerial group between the leaders of Devolved Administrations and the UK Government to ensure greater cohesion within the Union.
3. Remove the new powers for ministers to determine the remit of the Electoral Commission.

Conference also renews its calls on the UK Government to:

1. Introduce a Devolution Enabling Bill to Parliament, permitting the transfer of legislative powers from the UK Parliament to councils or groups of councils working together in England.
2. Implement the recommendations of the Silk Commission for Wales.
3. Implement in full the delivery plan for further Scottish powers promised by the three pro-Union party leaders during the independence referendum campaign without any conditionality on progress in other areas.

Federal; except 1., which is England only; 2., which is Wales only; and 3., which is Scotland only.

Mover: 7 minutes; summation of motion and movers and summation of any amendments: 4 minutes; all other speakers: 3 minutes. For eligibility and procedure for speaking in this debate, see page 9 of the agenda.

The deadline for amendments to this motion, see page 12 of the agenda, and for requests for separate votes, see pages 8-9 of the agenda, is 13.00 Monday 5 September. Those selected for debate will be printed in Conference Extra and Saturday's Conference Daily.