25 years of devolution in the UK

The devolution referendum of 1997 resulted in Scots voting for a Scottish Parliament. Wales, Northern Ireland and London all gained varying devolved powers from central UK government. What have the gains and losses been? And what will the next 25 years see for each nation if devolution really is a process and not a single act?

Chair: Susan Murray, Director of the David Hume Institute

Panellists:

Philip Rycroft worked in the Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU) between 2017 and 2019, including a role as Permanent Secretary where he led the department on the Government’s preparations for Brexit. From 2015 to 2019, he was head of the UK Governance Group in the Cabinet Office, with responsibility for advising ministers on all aspects of the constitution and devolution and prior to that was the Director General in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg. Philip has worked in various roles in the civil service in Scotland and London, in the European Commission and in business. He is now a non-executive director and academic. 

Professor Nicola McEwen is Professor of Public Policy at the University of Glasgow. Prior to this she was Professor of Territorial Politics at the University of Edinburgh, and a fellow of the Centre on Constitutional Change. She specialises in nationalism, devolution and intergovernmental relations, with a focus on Scotland and the UK in comparative perspective. Her recent research examined the impact of Brexit on UK devolution and the future of the Union, supported by an ESRC Senior Fellowship with the UK in a Changing Europe.  

Professor Katy Hayward MRIA is Professor of Political Sociology and co-Director of the Centre for International Borders Research at Queen’s University Belfast. Her recent co-authored publications include, 'Northern Ireland: A Generation after Good Friday' and 'Unification Referendums on the island of Ireland'. Named 'Political Communicator of the Year' and ITV's Geek of the Week, Katy engages with media, policymaking, business and civil society audiences regarding her research on socio-political attitudes and dynamics in post-Brexit Northern Ireland and the wider UK.