Parties’ pledges on devolution and constitutional reform

Conservative

Against Scottish independence, believing the Edinburgh Government has “the right balance of powers to deliver for people there”. They pledge support for the oil and gas industries, as well as farming and fishing.

Labour

Against Scottish independence, but vows to “reset relations” between London and Edinburgh, with new work to clarify the division of powers between them. The £8bn state-owned power company, Great British Energy, would be based in Scotland.

Lib Dem

Against Scottish independence, believing voters do not want a second referendum. They want to focus on sharing power more evenly around the UK, with better co-operation on areas such as industrial strategy and climate change.

Reform

Independence would amount to “political, economic and cultural vandalism”, according to its Scottish manifesto. It wants powers devolved from Holyrood to councils and communities, and for farmers to be liberated from “mad net zero” regulations.

Greens

Support Scottish independence, but concede more work needs to be done to make the case for leaving the UK. The party wants more devolution to Edinburgh, including full control over taxes, including environmental levies, and greater borrowing powers.

SNP

It says independence would “strengthen our economy, tackle the cost of living and bring about a fairer country”. Leader John Swinney says he would be “empowered” to begin negotiations on a new independence referendum if it wins a majority of Scottish seats.

Plaid

Backs the cause of Scottish independence. It argues many powers devolved to Scotland – such as over income tax, justice, benefits and rail infrastructure – should be given to Cardiff.

Summary

Most of the UK-wide parties oppose Scottish independence, although Labour and the Lib Dems both promise to improve relations between London and Edinburgh, as well as review the balance of powers.

Conservative

Against further devolution to Cardiff. The party would override the Welsh 20mph speed limit and backs improvements to the M4 and a new Menai crossing. Highlights plans for a new nuclear power plant on Anglesey.

Labour

Promises a “reset” in relations between London and Cardiff, with Sir Keir Starmer saying they would share decisions over spending millions of pounds of grants replacing EU funds. He will consider devolving responsibility over probation and youth justice to Cardiff.

Lib Dem

In a drive to share power better round the UK, they would give more responsibility to Cardiff, including over prisons, policing, rail services and broadcasting. The party would also increase the Welsh government’s borrowing powers.

Reform

Nigel Farage chose to launch his UK manifesto in Wales “because it shows everyone exactly what happens to a country when Labour is in charge”. It would fast-track housing on brownfield sites and infrastructure in Wales, and improve its road and rail links.

Greens

They support more devolution, with the Welsh Government given the same devolved powers as the Scottish Government. They are “committed to campaigning for an independent Wales with its own democratic constitution”.

SNP

Its only reference to Wales is to point out Scotland’s better record on housebuilding than in Wales and to call for the “disparity of esteem” between Gaelic and Welsh broadcasting to be corrected. The SNP retains friendly links with Plaid Cymru.

Plaid

Supports Welsh independence as the ultimately “best way to deliver real fairness and ambition for Wales” and would set up consultation on the best approach to independence. In the meantime it supports far greater devolution of powers.

Summary

No party wants to scrap the Senedd but there are divisions over the devolution of further powers to Cardiff. Plaid Cymru has softened its stance on independence, dropping its timetable for leaving the UK.

Conservative

The Tories will “never be neutral” in their support for Northern Ireland’s place in the UK. They pledge to implement in full the Windsor Framework, with its “unique advantages”, and to strive to “end all forms of paramilitary activity for good”.

Labour

Saying Northern Ireland needs “stability and long-term certainty”, Labour commits itself to implementing the Windsor Framework and promises to uphold the “letter and spirit” of the Good Friday Agreement. It would repeal the Legacy Act, which “denies justice to the families and victims of the Troubles”.

Lib Dem

They would reduce barriers to trade involving Northern Ireland by “fixing the UK’s broken relationship with Europe” and work with the Northern Ireland Executive to “build a permanently peaceful Northern Ireland” and improve its economy.

Reform

It would immediately scrap the Windsor Framework which has left the UK “partitioned down the Irish Sea”. It says Northern Ireland is still in the EU single market for goods and therefore “ruled by EU laws”.

Greens

The Green Party Northern Ireland, which is fielding a record 11 candidates, says it resolutely opposes sectarianism, is committed to equal rights, fair trade, ethical foreign policies and devolving decision making to the “lowest effective level”.

SNP

Northern Ireland is not specifically mentioned in its manifesto, but the anti-Brexit party has attacked Rishi Sunak for not allowing Scotland the same trading relationship with the EU that Northern Ireland receives under the Windsor Framework.

Plaid

It complains Wales has been an “afterthought” in negotiations with the EU over the Windsor Framework despite it affecting the port of Holyhead. Plaid’s manifesto calls for the powers over justice and rail infrastructure wielded by Stormont to be given to Cardiff too.

Summary

There is widespread backing for the Windsor Framework on Northern Ireland’s trading relationship with the European Union, with only Reform UK breaking from the consensus.

Conservative

They are promising more devolution and new powers for communities. They would give extra cash to revive high streets and enable more local people to take over assets such as pubs, music venues and libraries. Would create more Freeports and Investment Zones to encourage local growth.

Labour

A 10-year infrastructure strategy to stop the UK “grinding to a halt” would include improving rail connectivity across northern England, as well as new roads and reservoirs. Councils would get powers to operate bus services, and mayors able to design integrated transport systems.

Lib Dem

Would continue to support the Northern Powerhouse initiative, review the cancellation of the northern leg of the HS2 scheme, “significantly extend” railway electrification, boost rural bus services and eliminate regional differences in energy prices.

Reform

The party pledges to get Britain’s infrastructure “back on its feet”, focussing on coastal areas, the North of England, the Midlands and Wales. Planning would be streamlined to boost housing, businesses and housing in those areas. The rest of the “bloated vanity project” of HS2 would be scrapped.

Greens

They would spend £10bn on setting up regional mutual banks to champion decarbonisation schemes and give local authorities £2bn per year to help companies decarbonise. They support faster electrification of railways and giving councils powers over bus services.

SNP

It promises financial relief to parts of the Highlands and Islands facing high energy prices and to build on a £500m scheme to help the North-East of Scotland move away from industries based on oil and gas.

Plaid

Denouncing levels of inequality across the UK, it says levelling up has to be more than a “political slogan”. It wants the “out-dated” Barnett funding formula to be scrapped and Wales given the £4bn it is “owed” from the “England-only” HS2 rail scheme.

Summary

The parties agree more needs to be done on “levelling up” and are vying with each other to boost the economy and transport links. They broadly agree over devolving more decision-making to local communities.

Conservative

They remain committed to the existing First Past the Post voting system because of its “direct link with the local voter” as well as requiring people to show ID at polling stations before casting their votes. They would leave the voting age at 18.

Labour

Although there is strong support for introducing proportional representation within the party, there is no mention of it in the manifesto. Labour would reduce the voting age to 16 for all UK elections to boost “engagement of young people in our vibrant democracy”.

Lib Dem

They repeat their long-standing support for proportional representation for electing MPs and councillors for a “truly fair democracy”. They support lowering the voting age to 16 for general elections and English council elections.

Reform

It favours Proportional Representation for electing MPs to prevent new parties being “shut out of the political system” – a move it claims would boost voter turnout by around 10 per cent. It would severely curb postal voting to combat electoral fraud.

Greens

They support replacing first-past-the-post with a “fair and proportional voting system” for parliamentary and council elections, and want to give 16 and 17-year-olds the right to vote and to stand for Parliament and other elected offices.

SNP

Wants first-past-the-post replaced with the Single Transferable Vote form of PR. It backs reducing the general election voting age to 16 – as is already the case for the Edinburgh Parliament and Scottish councils – and extending the vote to foreign residents.

Plaid

It advocates the Single Transferable Vote to choose MPs so that “a greater proportion of votes are used to elect representatives rather than wasted” and backs voting at 16 for Westminster elections in line with Senedd and Welsh council elections.

Summary

The smaller parties who suffer from the first-past-the-post system concur on the case for proportional representation, while the Tories disagree and Labour won’t be drawn. Most want the voting age to be 16.

Conservative

There is no mention of reforming the House of Lords. The manifesto is equivocal over quitting the European Convention on Human Rights, saying “our security” should always take priority over a foreign court’s jurisdiction, such as The European Court of Human Rights.

Labour

It would reform the House of Lords immediately, including removing the 92 hereditary peers, with the eventual aim of replacing it with an elected second chamber “more representative of the regions and nations”. MPs would be banned from accepting paid advisory or consultancy roles.

Lib Dems

They would “reform the House of Lords with a proper democratic mandate”. They want to cap donations to parties to “take the big money out of politics”, tighten rules on lobbying and set up national and local citizens’ assemblies.

Reform

The party would, within 100 days, leave the European Convention on Human Rights, replace the “crony-filled” House of Lords with a smaller, more democratic second chamber and replace senior civil servants with “successful professionals from the private sector”.

Greens

They describe replacing the House of Lords with an elected second chamber and beginning work on a “new constitutional settlement” as priorities. They advocate “a fair system of state funding for political parties” and unlimited fines for parties which breach electoral law.

SNP

Wants Scotland to become independent and to rejoin the European Union. In the shorter term, it is calling for greater devolution of powers to cover such areas as tax, immigration and energy. It argues for the “undemocratic” House of Lords to be abolished.

Plaid

Ultimately advocates Welsh independence, but does not put a timetable on its ambition. It condemns Brexit and wants to rejoin the EU “at an appropriate point in time”, but believes the UK should re-enter the European Single Market and Customs Union “at the earliest opportunity”.

Summary

Six of the seven parties support reform or abolition of the Lords, with several supporting moves to “clean up” politics by stopping MPs taking consultancy posts or by taking big money out of funding parties.

Conservative

The party has long supported the monarchy strongly and hopes to have put behind it some apparent tensions with Buckingham Palace when Boris Johnson advised the Queen to prorogue Parliament during battles over Brexit. Sunak has praised the King’s “long standing track record” championing green issues.

Labour

Sir Keir Starmer’s apparent republican sympathies are decades behind him – he introduced the singing of the national anthem at Labour conferences and paid fulsome tribute to the Queen after her death. There is no mention of reforming the monarchy in his manifesto.

Lib Dem

They have long been supporters of a constitutional monarchy on the basis of democratic consent (although a 2013 poll suggested a minority of activists supported its eventual abolition) and Sir Ed Davey praised the late Queen as “our nation’s constant”. Their manifesto makes no reference to the issue.

Reform

Nigel Farage has previously taken pot-shots at some senior Royals, including “Charlie Boy”, but fiercely defended the Royal Family from accusations of racism. His prospectus makes no reference to his vision of the monarchy’s future.

Greens

Historically, the Greens have supported stripping the monarchy of its powers as “the hereditary principle should have no place in government”. But the policy has taken a back seat and there is no mention of the Royal Family in their English and Welsh manifesto.

SNP

Following the Queen’s death, John Swinney, now the Scottish First Minister, confirmed that King Charles would be head of state in an independent Scotland, mirroring its position during the 2014 referendum on leaving the UK.

Plaid

There is a strain of republicanism within the party – former leader Leanne Wood was once kicked out of the Senedd chamber for calling the Queen “Mrs Windsor” – but the issue does not surface in its manifesto.

Summary

Speculation before the Queen’s death that the arrival of a new sovereign would spark debate over the monarchy’s future has proved unfounded. The parties are not going there.

Election 2024

Rishi Sunak, Sir Keir Starmer and other party leaders are on the campaign trail, and i‘s election live blog is the go-to place for everything on the general election.

Reform has been under fire after Andrew Parker, a canvasser, was caught using a racial slur about Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Nigel Farage has expressed ‘dismay’ at this.

Meanwhile, i has compiled the main parties’ pledges on key issues – read our breakdown of NHS, education, and defence. You can also read each party’s key manifesto pledges in our party breakdowns of the Tories, Green Party, Labour, Liberal Democrats and Reform UK.