Devolution in the United Kingdom

Devolution transfers powers from a central government to regional bodies while the centre keeps sovereignty. The United Kingdom is the leading example. After referendums in 1997, the Scottish Parliament and the National Assembly for Wales (now the Senedd) were created in 1999; a Northern Ireland Assembly followed from the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. Devolution is asymmetric: Scotland received wider powers, including some over taxation, than Wales initially did, and England has no parliament of its own.

Because Westminster remains sovereign, devolution is in theory reversible, though in practice it is politically entrenched. Devolution raised new questions, such as the 'West Lothian question': why Scottish MPs at Westminster can vote on English matters when English MPs cannot vote on devolved Scottish matters. Supporters say devolution answered demands for self-government; critics say it fuelled calls for independence or left England underrepresented.