Decentralisation and the Centre-Right in the UK and Spain: Trade-Offs between Central Power and Regional Responsibility in the Conservative Party and the Partido Popular

The British Conservative Party and the Spanish Partido Popular have traditionally been hostile to devolving greater power to regions. Although both parties might be expected to support decentralisation on economically liberal grounds, in fact both have found it extremely difficult to reconcile their centre-right economic instincts with a deeply ingrained commitment to the integrity of the state. Using interviews with political elites in Spain and the UK, this paper explores the tension in conservative ideology between supporting sub-state political responsibility through decentralisation and supporting strong central government able to take long-term (and potentially unpopular) decisions in times of economic crisis.