rebecca- conservative constitutional reform

• Scotland Act, 2016


  • Devolved institutions had new powers oversetting tax rates, thresholds for income tax, and tax levies.
  • Scottish Parliament was given greater legislative power over roads and welfare benefits.
  • Scottish Parliament was given control of its electoral system- a majority of ⅔ was now needed.
  • The Act recognised the permanence of devolved institutions in Scotland: a referendum would be needed before a Scottish Parliament or Government would be abolished.
• Wales Act, 2017


  • allowed the Welsh Assembly to set rates of income tax from April 2019 and collect devolved taxes.
  • The Welsh government was given control over its electoral system- ⅔ majority now needed
  • new devolved powers to the National Assembly and Welsh ministers over areas including road signs, onshore oil and gas activity, rail, and energy.
  • borrowing powers of Wales were increased to £1 billion
  • The Welsh Assembly was given extended powers over equalities and tribunals 
  • They were given the power to change their name- this was changed to Welsh Parliament/ Senedd Cymru in May 2020.
• ‘English Votes for English Laws’, 2015


  • The 2013 McKay Commission recommended that only English MPs should be able to vote on measures that only affect England.
  • This new system was used for the first time in January 2016- only those MPs who were representing English constituencies were permitted to vote on some elements of a Housing and Planning Bill. 
  • This process was scrapped in 2021.
• Brexit, 2016

  • The UK became a member of the EEC in 1973, making the UK subject to European Laws and the European Courts of Justice.
  • Set in motion by Cameron’s 2016 referendum, the UK began its departure from the EU.
  • In January 2022, the government announced the Brexit Freedoms Bill, which aims to make it easier to repeal sections of EU law that have been redrafted into UK law due to Brexit, by using secondary legislation, aka statutory instruments, which enable the government to bypass the standard legislative process.