UK Government Sets 2028 Deadline for Sweeping Devolution Overhaul

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said this weekend that his government will pursue a written constitution for the United Kingdom, arguing that the country needs a clearer legal framework as regional devolution expands.

The plan would replace the UK’s current uncodified constitutional arrangements with a codified text. Burnham said the approach is intended to formalise the rules and expectations of devolved governance, with an explicit focus on achieving equitable living standards across all regions.

Devolution and a shift in fiscal control Officials said the practical mechanism at the centre Officials said the practical mechanism at the centre of the proposal is a transfer of fiscal authority away from Whitehall and towards regional mayors and local authorities. The government presented this as a structural change designed to reduce the concentration of decision-making associated with Westminster. Under the outline described, by early 2028 regional leaders would retain a portion of locally generated income tax. The model also assumes that wealthier areas would redistribute funds to less prosperous regions, embedding an element of internal equalisation into the new system. The government framed the combination of devolution and fiscal rebalancing as a response to regional inequality, positioning a written constitution as a way to lock in reforms that have developed over time through legislation, convention, and political practice rather than through a single constitutional document.

Germany’s Basic Law cited as a model

Burnham pointed to Germany’s Basic Law as an Burnham pointed to Germany’s Basic Law as an example of the type of structured legal framework the UK should consider. In the government’s presentation, the reference underscores a preference for clear constitutional rules that define the relationship between different levels of government and the distribution of powers. Constitutional experts said that codifying the rules that currently rely on parliamentary acts and conventions would mark a major change in how the UK state is governed. They noted that a written constitution could place key governance rules beyond the reach of simple majority votes. Questions over parliamentary sovereignty and scope Experts also said the move would represent a significant departure from the UK’s tradition of parliamentary sovereignty. In practice, this could constrain the executive branch if core constitutional rules were no longer easily amendable through standard parliamentary procedures.

Analysts cautioned that a comprehensive constitution would likely demand a deeper restructuring of the overall system of state governance than current devolution plans alone. They warned that the work involved could extend well beyond existing mandates and would require decisions about how broad the constitution should be and how it would interact with existing institutions.

For now, the government’s stated is to formalise devolution and rebalance authority between the centre and the regions, while acknowledging that writing and entrenching constitutional rules would be a far-reaching change with unresolved practical and political questions.