Mark Drakeford says UK must be radically redrawn to survive
The first minister of Wales has called for the United Kingdom to be "radically redrawn" in order for it to survive.
Mark Drakeford made the comments at the launch of a report by Labour party members calling for the devolved nations to be handed greater powers. He said the break-up of the UK was a "real and present danger". A senior Tory said Labour was obsessed over powers, while Plaid Cymru said they were "yesterday's ideas". Speaking at an online launch of the proposals on Tuesday morning, Mr Drakeford urged a UK Labour commission on the constitution to embrace the "radicalism" of the ideas. The pamphlet, which is partly authored by Pontypridd Senedd member Mick Antoniw, says Westminster should only control certain "strategic" priorities, such as defence and major decisions on the economy. It calls on Keir Starmer's Labour Party to offer an alternative to independence or the status quo. Labour should aim for a "genuine, cohesive voluntary union of nations", the report says, where every part of the country gets a "fair share" of resources. Citing the success of the Scottish National Party, and claiming the "gravitational pull" for people in Northern Ireland is turning "southwards, across the island of Ireland", Mr Drakeford warned: "The break-up of the United Kingdom is a real and present danger." He said the Labour Party had to lead the argument on the constitution. "It cannot be a surrender to the simplicities of unionism or nationalism. It has instead to be a radical redrawing of the United Kingdom itself." Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all have different levels of controlling their own affairs, but the first minister said there was "no point" in breathing life into a constitutional settlement "that has had its day". "Instead what we have to create is a new union." Mr Drakeford, speaking from Welsh Government offices in Cardiff, argued that decisions that affect people's daily lives should be made as close as possible to them. "But where the component nations of the United Kingdom choose to come together, to pool resources, and to share rewards, then I also believe that that should be a powerful part of the overall deal." 'Voluntary union' Mick Antoniw said: "Until now, the debate over reform has been dominated by the choice of a sparse and ill thought-out model of independence or a hard-line unionism. "We believe there is a better way. A progressive reform which puts people and communities first, based on a voluntary union of nations coming together with common purpose and principles, a radical federalism." The first minister said the pamphlet was an "excellent and a very necessary contribution" to "one of the most important and neglected public policy issues of our time". Andrew RT Davies, Welsh Conservative health spokesman, tweeted: "Sad to see Labour once again obsessing over powers - if only they focused on the ones they already had!" Delyth Jewell of Plaid Cymru, which supports independence, added: "These are yesterday's ideas from yesterday's party. Labour had thirteen years in power in Westminster to deliver radical devolution for Wales and failed." Analysis by David Deans, BBC Wales political reporter While health, education and local government are controlled from Cardiff, there's much that remains in the hands of Westminster, like the courts and policing. Details are limited, but the idea proposed on Thursday is that the more that can be done locally, the less likely voters in the UK nations would want to go their separate ways. The pamphlet calls for "radical federalism": Mr Drakeford didn't use the term himself in his introduction, but the report he endorsed as "excellent" has it in the title. It implies UK nations (and regions in England) being almost separate in running most of their own affairs, but agreeing to stick together voluntarily. This might sound like more of the same from Welsh Labour - Mark Drakeford has supported moving more power from London to Cardiff for some time - but it is part of a constitutiona; debate in the wider UK party. The only real hope these ideas have of coming to pass is if Sir Keir Starmer puts them in a manifesto and wins power at Westminster. It isn't just about Scotland and Northern Ireland - independence has a presence now in Welsh politics that it never has before. But the difference in Wales - and the potential problem for those dreaming of a federal UK - is that some on the right think votes can be won in arguing for less devolution, rather than more.