Former UK PM Gordon Brown says country could become 'failed state' without reforms

The former Labour Prime Minister of the United Kingdom has recently warned that the country must reform how it is governed or risk becoming a “failed state”. In an op-ed article published in the Daily Telegraph, Gordon Brown wrote that COVID-19 pandemic has exposed “tensions” between Whitehall and the nations and regions. While speaking about people’s lack of faith in the country’s governance, Brown said that the UK requires immediate reforms. He also urged PM Boris Johnson to set up a commission to review how the country is run. 

The former PM wrote that the pandemic has brought to the surface tensions and grievances that have been simmering for years between Downing Street and the various parts of the UK. He added that he believes the choice is now between a reformed state and a failed state. He even pointed to “bitter disputes” over issues such as lockdown restrictions and furlough. 

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Brown went on to say that it is indeed Scotland where dissatisfaction is so deep that it threatens the end of the UK. He wrote that the complaint is that Whitehall does not fully understand the country it is supposed to govern. While pointing towards elected leaders, he claimed that local knowledge has been ignored and they are rarely consulted by the officials. The former leader also said that the outlying communities feel they are the “forgotten men and women, virtually invisible to Whitehall”. 

The United Kingdom is currently facing a lot of crises at once, including Brexit and coronavirus pandemic. Brown believed that the bonds which hold England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland together are now weakening. He called on the UK PM and said that he should reform how the UK is governed and “must urgently rediscover” what holds the country together and what is driving it apart. 

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Scotland seeks referendum on independence 

Meanwhile, the Scottish National Party announced to hold a referendum on independence if the party wins a majority in May’s elections. As per SNP Scottish Government plans, Scotland parliament will adopt the bill as law if the May elections garner a pro-independence majority in the 129-member chamber. It is worth noting that Johnson had stressed that the second referendum would "continue the political stagnation Scotland has seen for the past decade” at a presser. 

Johnson opposed the second referendum for Scotland, saying that it should be “once in a generation”. Johnson had approved Scotland’s 2014 referendum, which was backed by voters with 55-45 per cent. He refused to approve the second referendum saying that the two EU referendums in Britain, in 1975 and the other in 2016, were issued at a major 41-year gap. The second referendum was to be decided in consultation with the Westminster parliament but Scotland asserted that its parliament will pass the bill preparing for an independence voting despite UK’s objection. This could challenge the UK to take legal action against the referendum, as an independence vote without the Westminster parliament’s authorisation would be illegal. 

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