Over the quarter-century since devolved powers were bestowed upon Holyrood, Cardiff and Stormont in 1999, the country has become ever more politically and legislatively divided. Austerity, Brexit, the pandemic and the soaring cost of living has put the cleavages between national governments into sharp relief.
Not one has a clean record as of 2024 – the Scottish Parliament is cranking up taxes on the hardest workers, NHS Wales has lost track of its A&E waiting times data (let alone the emergency room targets themselves), productivity in Northern Ireland continues to lag behind the rest and home ownership is now beyond the reach of most English families.
But which British nation has fared best? The Conservatives’ England, Wales under Labour, the SNP’s Scotland or Northern Ireland administered by the DUP and Sinn Féin?
Incomes
Best for income growth: Northern Ireland
Worst for income growth: England
The Troubles, a peripheral geographic position and a high concentration of low productivity industries, have all been singled out as causes of Northern Ireland’s persistent economic woes. A decade ago, the median annual full-time salary in Ulster was just £24,000. Workers in every other UK nation and English region could have expected to earn more at the time.
This is no longer the case. Between 2013 and 2023, wage growth outpaced all competitors, shooting up by 37.1pc. The 2023 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) now puts the figure at just under £33,000 – notably ahead of Wales, the North East, the West Midlands and Yorkshire and The Humber.
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