A more collaborative way of governing? Lessons from Australia and Canada for the UK’s Council of the Nations and Regions

One of the first acts of Sir Keir Starmer’s government was to establish the Council of the Nations and Regions, a potentially landmark innovation in the United Kingdom’s model of territorial government. As of autumn 2025, the Council has met twice. Drawing on lessons from more established intergovernmental structures and relations in Australia and Canada, this article demonstrates how this forum could fill a gap in the United Kingdom’s territorial government, which has historically lacked mechanisms for genuine collaboration. We conducted interviews with key stakeholders from all levels of government, analysed UK and international policy and practice, and identified several challenges and opportunities raised by the establishment of the Council. These include the need for more transparency about UK government’s dual role as the central government and de facto government of England; the need to differentiate between devolution as delivery versus a structure for policy autonomy and learning; and the importance of political good-will. This will be crucial in a period of greater political divergence across the UK’s administrations. We argue there is real potential for the Council of the Nations and Regions to shift the UK towards a more collaborative form of territorial government, encouraging co-operation between and across its governing authorities.