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What The Coronavirus Crisis Means For The Future Of UK Devolution

Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street to attend the weekly Prime Ministers' Questions session on Wednesday, May 13, 2020.
Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street to attend the weekly Prime Ministers' Questions session on Wednesday, May 13, 2020.

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Boris Johnson has held the keys to 10 Downing Street for less than a year, but in that time the political landscape has changed unimaginably.

As the UK grapples to get the coronavirus pandemic under control, all other business is on hold.

And while the PM enjoyed the support of all three devolved UK governments when he first announced lockdown measures, in recent weeks that consensus has begun to fray.

Before Johnson’s crunch address to the nation on May 10, Scottish and Welsh first ministers Nicola Sturgeon and Mark Drakeford had already publicly shunned his updated, “unclear” position.

As Westminster urged people in England to return to work and relaxed restrictions on outdoor meetings, the other three nations kept their “stay at home” edict in place.

With health – and other huge policy areas – devolved to Cardiff, Belfast and Edinburgh, it is unlikely this will be the last line in the sand first ministers choose to draw with Westminster.

So what does it mean for the Union in the long-term? Will the pandemic force the four nations to be more united or do all paths lead to divergence?

Matt Greenough, political consultant at Words Matter and former Welsh government chief special adviser, said the impact of the disharmony on future relations had the potential to be “significant”.

“What will annoy anyone who actually understands devolution is the idea that the devolved administrations are deviating from the Westminster approach for the sake of it, to flex their muscles or demonstrate political differences,” he told HuffPost UK.

“Nobody is approaching this as a way to score points, so it’s deeply frustrating to hear that sort of analysis, because it could really fracture relations.

“While it might make sense when looking at Brexit policy, it just cannot be applied to this scenario, and to do so is worryingly...

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