Rt. Hon. Carwyn Jones AM, First Minister of Wales
This was published under the 2011 to 2016 administration of the Welsh Government
The result of the independence referendum has been formally confirmed, and the people of Scotland will remain in the United Kingdom and I welcome their decision. I am pleased that the outcome is one of continued Union which I believe to be in the best interests of Wales and the other parts of the UK.
We are now entering a new phase in the governance of the UK, one which presents real challenges and opportunities. Scotland’s affirmation of its membership of the UK provides a positive platform for the UK as a whole to put its constitutional arrangements on a principled long term footing. I call on the United Kingdom Government to act on this opportunity in a comprehensive and inclusive manner. The starting point must be to establish in our formal constitutional structures a relationship of mutual respect between the four legislatures and governments that make up the governance of the UK. It is time to recognise that devolution is an established part of our constitution and needs to be guaranteed, as Gordon Brown said.
Today’s result is an opportunity to focus on this wider context and clarify the fundamental principles of the new UK Constitution which will emerge from Scotland’s decision. Over the next days and weeks I will be pressing the case for Wales to play its full part in this process.
I will make a further statement to the Assembly next Tuesday.