UK PM Burnham signals support for written constitution

Andy Burnham, Britain's newly appointed Prime Minister, has expressed his backing for the establishment of a written constitution in the United Kingdom. This move comes just two weeks after Burnham took office, as he has been focusing on devolving power to regional authorities. The former mayor of Greater Manchester has consistently advocated for a written constitution, seeing it as a way to provide clear principles on how the country should be run.

"It's wrong that people are left arguing for things that are just fundamental," Burnham remarked, emphasizing the disempowering effect of the current lack of a constitution. Despite being the only major country without a written constitution, the UK currently operates based on a collection of statutes, common law judgments, and treaties.

The push for a written constitution has gained momentum recently, with Gordon Brown, Burnham's predecessor as prime minister from 2007 to 2010, also advocating for this change. A parliamentary committee conducted a five-year review in 2015, but their conclusion was that there was no clear consensus on the matter. Implementing a written constitution would be a long-term process, possibly involving a significant public inquiry and extensive consultations.

Burnham's announcement on Friday also included plans to enable regional mayors in England to retain a portion of taxes collected within their areas, as part of his broader strategy to redistribute power from the central government in London. Following the establishment of devolved parliaments in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland in the late 1990s, England still remains the most centralized region in the UK, despite the introduction of regional mayors and other institutions in recent years.