Prime Minister David Cameron has hinted at an end to the West Lothian question and greater powers for city councils in England.
He confirmed the eleventh hour “devo-max” deal offered to the Scots by the No campaign would be honoured, with increased powers over tax, spending and welfare to be agreed by November, and draft legislation published by January.
In a statement outside Downing Street today, he said: “Just as the people of Scotland will have more power over their affairs, so it follows that the people of England, Wales and Northern Ireland must have a bigger say over theirs.
“It is also important we have wider civic engagement about to improve governance in our UK, including how to empower our great cities. And we will say more about this in the coming days.”
The West Lothian question—that Scottish MPs are able to vote on issues that only affect England—required “a definitive answer”, he said, raising the prospect that Parliament could vote to restrict the scope of Scottish MPs.
However, the only thing certain is that nobody knows for sure what will happen.
Rod MacLeod, partner at Tods Murray, says: "Whether we like it or not, the legacy of the independence referendum will cast a long shadow on the constitutional and economic future of the UK for some time to come, as promises made in the final weeks of the campaign on enhanced devolved powers for Scotland covering finance, welfare and taxation, now have to be delivered.
“If there are more devolved powers for Scotland, it’s only natural to expect that the calls for similar powers to be devolved to other areas of the UK like Wales, Northern Ireland or the north of England will become more vocal over time.”
CMS senior partner Penelope Warne, says: “No does not mean no change. There is an expectation of change but the question is how much. Although devo-max is currently light on detail, it is safe to assume with promises made by all three major parties there will be far-reaching changes in institutional structures, law and regulation.”
