Devolution after Brexit. Managing the environment, agriculture and fisheries

Further information

Brexit meant all four governments of the UK – Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Westminster – must go back to the drawing board to redefine their relationships, argued the report.

The report said that the devolution arrangements of the late 1990s were designed to function within membership of the EU. Outside of the EU, they were no longer fit for purpose.

It looked at the environment, agriculture and fisheries – areas where new UK-wide agreements were most urgently needed.

The four governments had made progress in addressing these issues but the imperative to act was growing, as agreement on key legislation – such as the EU Withdrawal Bill – was required to prevent further delays.

The report made recommendations for how the four governments could work together now and after Brexit.Brexit has put devolution in the UK under serious strain. There is a stark divide between how the devolution settlements are interpreted in Westminster and how they are interpreted in Cardiff and Edinburgh. Brexit also divides the main parties in Northern Ireland.

This paper sets out how the governments of the UK could forge new UK-wide agreements. It focused primarily on the environment, agriculture and fisheries, three policy domains where devolved competence intersects significantly with current EU competence.

Blog: LSE Brexit, 09.04.18: UK governance after Brexit: yet more variable and even more disjointed http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/brexit/2018/04/09/uk-governance-after-brexit-yet-more-variable-and-even-more-disjointed/

ESO: In Focus: Brexit - The United Kingdom and the European Union http://www.europeansources.info/record/brexit-the-united-kingdom-and-the-european-union/

ESO: Background information: Brexit: devolved legislature business http://www.europeansources.info/record/brexit-devolved-legislature-business/

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