What does the constitutional future of Wales look like and how can it work best for the people of Wales?
Co-chairs of the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales, Professor Laura McAllister and The Rt Revd Dr Rowan Williams will be appearing before the Welsh Affairs Committee.
Likely areas of questioning
In a one-off evidence session, members will be exploring the work of the Commission that was established in late 2021. The Welsh Government established the Commission to consider the reform of constitutional strictures in the UK, and what options there are to strengthen democracy and deliver improvements for the people of Wales.
Members will have the opportunity to discuss the Commission’s interim findings and establish how the Commission will take forward the final stages of its work. The Commission’s December 2022 interim report concluded several central problems with Wales’ constitutional position:
- Devolution was a major step forward for Welsh democracy, but the current settlement has been eroded by decisions of recent UK governments;
- The UK’s unwritten constitution and the unrestricted sovereignty of the Westminster Parliament limits the ability of the people of Wales, and their elected representatives, to determine how they should be governed;
- Wales’ economy has not prospered over a long period within the UK but its prospects outside the UK are highly uncertain;
- Whether Wales should remain part of the UK or not begs the question: what sort of UK would work in the interests of the people of Wales – and is a reformed UK achievable?