Among the many problems with this plan is that the proposed reforms are so far-reaching, they’d surely require a referendum 1/ 7 https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/politics/2021/jan/31/keir-starmer-urged-to-back-radical-constitutional-reform-for-uk

So would this be a single UK wide referendum or a separate vote in the 4 different parts? If each part of the UK has its own vote, why would Scotland, having been denied an independence referendum it might well by then have voted for in May, vote for this package instead? 2/7

If it’s a single, whole of UK vote, what happens if England votes yes and Scotland votes no? Does it get through? Imposing a new constitution on Scotland with English votes would be a pretty odd way to counter Scottish independence 3/7

Now let’s turn to Northern Ireland. If it’s a whole of UK vote, it’s the same issue as Scotland. If it’s a separate NI vote, is a 50% plus 1 majority sufficient? So an organised unionist bloc can carry the day? There are some pretty obvious problems there 4/7

And make no mistake - a referendum would be needed. Proper federalism in the UK can only work by scrapping the principle of Parliamentary sovereignty. Given that’s the bedrock of the English constitution for centuries, it would seem to meet the threshold for a referendum 5/7

Some unionists seem preoccupied with inventing federal alternatives. There aren’t any; at least none that are compatible with any recognisable version of the British constitution that could command sufficiently wide support. 6/7

At some point the penny will likely drop that there’s no alternative for Unionists to defending the Union on its merits and seeing if they can convince people, rather than offer invented and completely unviable alternatives 7/7