By GB News (Politics) | Created at 2026-08-03 11:51:39 | Updated at 2026-08-03 17:48:04
6 hours ago
Anti-monarchy campaigners at Republic have seized on Prime Minister Andy Burnham's remarks about the need for a codified constitution, describing the moment as a major opening for their cause.
Graham Smith, the group's chief executive and author of Abolish the Monarchy, argued that no aspect of governance should be shielded from scrutiny.
He also acknowledged that an initial written constitution would probably leave the Crown's role intact, but maintained this would still pave the way for eventual abolition.
Mr Smith said: "Any serious debate about a written constitution must be open and honest, and needs to let the public take that discussion to its natural conclusion.
"There can be no 'no-go' areas of Britain's public life, so if we're going to debate how we're governed the monarchy must be on the table.
Anti-monarchy campaigners at Republic have seized on Prime Minister Andy Burnham's remarks about the need for a codified constitution, describing the moment as a major opening for their cause.
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"That creates a huge opportunity for a movement that is rapidly gaining ground, at a time of crisis and uncertainty for the royals.
"Even if, as is likely, a first written constitution leaves the monarchy untouched, that nevertheless lays the groundwork for future abolition.
"Simplifying, codifying and writing down the key building blocks of the nation's political system makes it easier to identify areas for reform, and mechanisms for making that change.
"And with every big change the very idea of change becomes more possible in the public imagination. So I'm very excited to hear that Burnham is looking at a written constitution.
"I have argued before that serious constitutional change can have a significant impact on the quality of our democracy and so on the quality of life in the UK."
Graham Smith, Republic's chief executive and author of Abolish the Monarchy, argued that no aspect of governance should be shielded from scrutiny.
PA
The prime minister's push towards a codified settlement stems directly from his sweeping decentralisation agenda.
Over the weekend, Burnham argued that the scale of change his government is pursuing makes a formal constitutional framework increasingly necessary. "It will increase the case for a constitution because Britain is changing through this, England is certainly changing through this," he said.
He stressed the need for a constitutional model that accommodates the distinct arrangements of Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and England's regions.
"In the end, I think it does start to point towards a new constitutional settlement with that commitment to equivalent living standards," he said, insisting his promise of "good growth in every postcode" was "more than just a soundbite".
The prime minister's push towards a codified settlement stems directly from his sweeping decentralisation agenda.
PA
Burnham characterised the devolution measures announced last Friday as the most ambitious challenge yet to Britain's overcentralised political system, describing the "rewiring" of the state as having reached "a new level of seriousness".
These views have deep roots in Burnham's political thinking. In his 2024 book Head North, co-authored with Liverpool city region mayor Steve Rotheram, he argued that profound inequality had become embedded in Britain because the country had never properly moved beyond a "feudal state" with power concentrated in Westminster.
"Our unwritten and murky constitutional arrangements have had the effect of hoarding power in a small number of hands in Whitehall and Westminster and, by extension, in the powerful networks of institutions and vested interests that surround them," he wrote.
The prime minister has pointed to Germany's postwar Grundgesetz as a model worth emulating.
That basic law requires equivalent living standards across all federal states, with wealthier regions redistributing resources to those with less.
Under devolution plans unveiled last week, regional mayors throughout England will be able to retain a portion of income tax revenue raised in their areas by early 2028.
Further proposals, expected to be published in late October, are anticipated to require economic powerhouses such as London, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands to transfer some of their share to less affluent areas, including Hull and East Yorkshire.
The redistribution mechanism mirrors the German model Burnham has championed, aiming to narrow the stark geographical inequalities that have long defined the British economy.
Britain currently stands as one of only a handful of major democracies operating without a written constitution — a single document setting out the fundamental rules by which the nation is governed.
