Do the UK’s regional mayors have a place in an English Parliament?

The UK government has been busy rolling out its programme of regional mayors in England under the banner of “English devolution”.

What is being called “English devolution” is not devolution, it is local government reorganisation. Every single law in England will continue to be made by the UK Parliament no matter how many regional mayors they create. The intention of the UK’s local government reorganisation in England is not to empower England to pursue its own strategic objectives and respond to its unique needs, it is to consolidate British control over England and undermine our national identity.

But looking to a future where the UK allows the people of England to do what the Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish have been permitted to do and decide whether they want their own devolved parliament, can the British regional system be accommodated in a way that adds value?

The short answer is yes. In fact, it is a logical answer to the question of how to provide effective sub-national decision making and accountability within a devolved England.

Under the UK’s regional system, regional mayors and combined authorities in England report to the British administration but can only lobby the UK government in the hope that they make the right decisions for their part of the country. England will not have a seat at the table when the UK parliament makes decisions about what regional mayors can and can’t do in England.

A devolved English Parliament need not follow the same approach as the British Parliament or devolved legislatures. The UK’s regional system lends itself to a different approach that is similar, but unique, to those already used in the UK.

The British House of Commons is elected entirely on a constituency basis with each UK constituency returning one British MP to the UK Parliament. The Scottish Parliament and Senedd both comprise of a mixture of constituency MSPs or MS/AS and multiple members elected from a regional list. The Northern Ireland Assembly follows the British approach.

A devolved English Parliament could be elected in a similar way to the Scottish Parliament and Senedd but England’s regional mayors and combined authority leaders take the place of regional list members. This would address the fundamental flaw in the UK’s regional system that sees constituency MPs making decisions that are not aligned with the strategic decisions being taken at a regional level and the mayor or leader of the regional administration covering that constituency not being part of the process.

As an example, there are 27 UK constituencies within the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) area. The Mayor of the WMCA has strategic objectives covering all 27 of those UK constituencies but has no part in the legislative process that grants or denies him the power and resources to achieve those objectives. There are 17 Labour, 9 Conservative and 1 Lib Dem members of the UK Parliament covering the WMCA area and they don’t all agree with the Mayor’s methods. In a devolved English Parliament, the Mayor of the WMCA could sit alongside a reduced number of constituency members as an equal, able to influence the legislative process and cast a vote as any of the constituency MPs would. That way, the collective interests of that region are represented as well as those at a constituency level.

Regionalisation has been weaponised by the British to undermine English identity and deny equality to our nation. As such, it is generally seen as something entirely negative by those who campaign for the preservation of the English nation and emancipation of its people. But it isn’t inherently bad, it is just being used maliciously. Regional mayors and leaders in England exercising authority devolved by and from an English Parliament would improve sub-national decision making and democratic accountability.