49An article titled "A Chronicle of Pre-Planned English Devolution," authored by Professor Marina Strezhneva (Doctor of Political Science and Principal Researcher at the Centre for European Studies, IMEMO), has been published in the *Contemporary Europe-Sovremennaya Evropa* journal (No. 4, 2026).
The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 came into force, providing for the reorganization of local councils and the transfer of specific functions to them (administrative decentralization) but not legislative powers (political devolution). The article analyzes the extent to which the sub-national governance reforms proposed by Keir Starmer’s Labour government and undertaken in 2024–2026 to revitalize economic growth and boost national GDP, as well as to address asymmetries in the UK’s political decentralization processes, achieved their intended results.
England’s interests continue to find political expression through the United Kingdom ñåntral government rather than through institutions of its own. This maintains the form of a union state, yet erodes its substance as a result of growing mistrust among the four historic nations that make up the United Kingdom.
No comments