Britain should adopt a more federal structure to guard against discontent turning to anger as standards of living fall after Brexit, says former prime minister Gordon Brown. The senior Labour politician said wholesale reform of the UK was needed as the nation is united in name only, with a much greater degree of devolution required for Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the English regions. He said the strains of the vote to leave the EU were already beginning to show as different nations, regions, sectors and companies were “desperately seeking their own opt-outs from a hard Brexit”. More than half of the £4bn spent annually in the UK by the EU should be returned to local and devolved governments, he said. “A people’s convention is the starting point if we are to give fairness, hope and opportunity to the regions,” Brown said.

Source: The Guardian November 03, 2016 11:03 UTC