Editing West Lothian question (section)

====English territorial office and secretary of state====
The Labour Party manifesto for the [[2017 United Kingdom general election|2017 general election]] included a commitment to establish the post of a "Minister for England" within the Department of Communities and Local Government who would work alongside the existing secretaries of state for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.<ref>https://ucrel.lancs.ac.uk/wmatrix/ukmanifestos2017/localpdf/Labour.pdf</ref><ref>https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/37545/like-it-or-not-keir-starmer-will-not-win-without-england</ref>

A 2022 report by the [[Electoral Reform Society]] suggested the establishment of an "England Office" to act as a representative for English regional and local government to the UK government and serve to coordinate between central and local government on English devolved matters. It also called for an "English Leaders' Forum" to bring together UK ministers with combined authority mayors, single local authority mayors and council leaders.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/latest-news-and-research/publications/democracy-made-in-england-where-next-for-english-local-government/ | title=Democracy Made in England: Where Next for English Local Government? }}</ref>

In a report titled ''Devolving English Government'' published in April 2023, to counter what they described as over-centralisation and a democratic deficit in England, the [[Institute for Government]] and the [[University of Cambridge]]'s [[Bennett Institute for Public Policy]] proposed the establishment of an "Office for England" led by a "Secretary of State for England" and the formation of an "English Devolution Council". The Existing [[Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government]] would be split into a Department for Housing and Communities and an Office for England, which would take on responsibility for oversight of devolved and local governance in England. The Secretary of State for England would chair a [[United Kingdom cabinet committee|cabinet committee]] for England including other secretaries of state from departments whose remits mainly apply to England only. The English Devolution Council would include the Mayor of London and existing combined authority mayors. An interim mechanism would be put in place for the participation of local leaders in areas of England without a combined authority. The role of the council would be to debate issues related to local and regional governance in England, to call ministers and experts to provide evidence and to advise the UK central Government on English affairs.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/englishdevolution | title=England needs a 'council of mayors' and Secretary of State to embed English devolution at the heart of Whitehall | date=6 April 2023 }}.</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/blog/devolving-english-government/ | title=England needs a 'council of mayors' and Secretary of State to embed English devolution at the heart of Whitehall – report | date=6 April 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/publications/devolving-english-government/ | title=Devolving English government }}</ref>