PROGRAMME AND CALL FOR PAPERS > Roundtable 2

Labour in a Multinational State

What place does the Labour Party currently give to the multinational character of the United Kingdom in its strategic vision and political approach? And how is the Starmer government received by public opinions and local political stages within the British 'periphery'?

The question is interesting for various reasons, if we recall, for example, that Scotland and Northern Ireland made a pro-European choice different from Wales and the United Kingdom in the Brexit referendum ; or that a project aimed at initiating a new step of institutional decentralization featured prominently in the Labour program for the 2024 elections. The cases of Scotland and Wales are particularly important, as these two nations are Labour historical strongholds, overwhelmingly supported the 2024 political change, and carry significant weight within the parliamentary majority in Westminster. Furthermore, just as in Northern Ireland, economic and social issues interfere with the 'national question’ and institutional debates about political autonomy. Given these characteristics, it will be interesting to observe the approach taken by the Starmer government toward the British periphery, as well as the political developments observable in each national area, while also highlighting their common features and/or differences. For example, one could assess the impact of Reform UK, the rise of identity and security tensions, or the weight of issues related to immigration or 'culture wars,' all of which have been very present on the British scene recently. Finally is there such a thing as an emerging local political 'model', linking together Scotland and Wale,s and constituting an alternative to an English/London ‘norm’ ?