New British Prime Minister Andy Burnham signals support for written constitution

LONDON – Britain’s new Prime Minister Andy Burnham has signalled his support for a written constitution for the UK, which unlike most countries, does not have one authoritative document.

Since taking office just two weeks ago, the former mayor of Greater Manchester has made devolution of power to the regional authorities a focus of his administration.

“In the end, I think it does start to point towards a new constitutional settlement,” the 56-year-old said of his devolution plans at the weekend.

Calling for a “new clear set of principles about how this country should be run”, he said there was a need for a written constitution – something he has called for before he became prime minister.

“It’s wrong that people are left arguing for things that are just fundamental... and the lack of a constitution disempowers places in that situation,” said Burnham.

Unlike most countries around the world, Britain does not have a written constitution, and is instead governed by a patchwork of statutes, common law judgments, and treaties.

The push for a written constitution is fairly recent, with Labour’s Gordon Brown, who was prime minister from 2007 to 2010, an early proponent of the overhaul.

Burnham served as a minister in Brown’s government.

A parliamentary committee considered options for codifying the constitution in a five-year review, which concluded in 2015 that there was no clear consensus.

Any serious attempt to codify the constitution by Burnham would be a years-long process likely requiring a major public inquiry and consultations.

Burnham on July 31 announced plans to allow regional mayors in England to keep a share of taxes collected in their area, part of his drive to transfer power out of the highly centralised nation’s capital.

The United Kingdom – comprising England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – saw significant constitutional reforms in the late 1990s that created devolved parliaments in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.

But England itself remains one of Europe’s most centralised nations, despite the creation of some regional mayors and other bodies in the last decade, experts say. AFP