Labour\u2019s \u2018EU reset\u2019 reopens questions about devolved involvement in negotiations<\/p>\n
Keir Starmer entered office in 2024 promising a twin \u201creset\u201d of relations with both the EU and devolved governments. While the tone of intergovernmental relations (IGR) with the devolved government has improved, and the Sewel convention<\/a> has operated with fewer disputes, other frustrations with the practice of IGR remain, including variable practice by different Whitehall departments in how thewy consult and involve devolved counterparts in the policy-making process.<\/p>\n Keir Starmer with Scotland’s first minister John Swinney (right), Northern Ireland’s first Minister Michelle O’Neill (left) and then Wales’ first minister Eluned Morgan during the first Council of Nations and Regions. The PM promised a ‘reset’ of relations with the devolved governments.\u00a0<\/p>\n The UK Internal Market Act similarly remains a point of contention despite the completion of its statutory review, with the Scottish government citing it as “the single greatest impediment to more effective and respectful intergovernmental relations” Scottish Government, Internal Market Act 2020: position paper, April 2025, www.gov.scot\/publications\/scottish-government-position-paper-internal-market-act-2020\/<\/a> <\/p>\n \u00a0 and rejecting the UK government\u2019s claim that relations have been successfully reset.\u00a0<\/p>\n The UK government\u2019s commitment to reset relations with the EU exposes a further set of devolution questions. The prime minister and three first ministers are broadly aligned in their desire to strengthen their relations with the EU, creating an opportunity for Starmer \u2013 and potentially the next prime minister \u2013 to work more closely with the devolved governments on this agenda. Closer alignment with the EU could also ease pressures from the Irish Sea border and help limit intra-UK divergence without relying on the UK Internal Market Act.<\/p>\n Yet, while UK\u2013EU regulatory alignment may reduce some of the immediate pressures generated by Brexit, it does not resolve the underlying constitutional question of where authority should lie within the UK\u2019s devolved system. International relations are reserved to the UK government, yet the implementation and consequences of international agreements frequently extend into devolved areas such as fisheries, agriculture, education, and environmental policy.<\/p>\n To date, however, devolved governments have been critical of their limited involvement in UK\u2013EU negotiations under Starmer.
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