Wales union commission to be chaired by Laura McAllister

The announcement comes ahead of a statement by counsel general and minister for the constitution Mick Antoniw in the Senedd on Monday afternoon.

Professor McAllister, Professor of Public Policy and the Governance of Wales at Cardiff University, and an expert in devolution and Welsh politics, said: "Serious contributions to our constitutional debate are greatly needed, and I’m looking forward to our work contributing to filling that space.

"We’ll think boldly and radically about all potential options for the future of Wales, in the context of the increasing pressure on the Union.”

Professor McAllister and Dr Rowan Williams will lead the Commission in making recommendations on how Wales’ constitutional settlement can best improve outcomes for the people of Wales" (Photo: Welsh Government)

Dr Rowan Williams is a theologian, and headed the Church of England as Archbishop of Canterbury until 2012. He said: “This Commission's job is to ask what structures and constitutional provisions will best release the potential of Welsh communities and Welsh people.

“We want to make sure that the governance of Wales is effective, accountable and imaginative, and look forward to hearing what hopes and visions are animating people around the country.”

Professor McAllister is a former Wales international football captain, and currently sits as deputy chair of the UEFA Women's Football Committee. She stood as a Plaid Cymru parliamentary candidate in the early nineties, but left the party not long after, later writing a book on its history.

Dr Rowan Williams served as Archbishop of Wales until the early 2000s, and is currently Chancellor of Cardiff University and chairman of Christian Aid.

Generally considered a progressive political voice, Dr Williams has been a outspoken critic of capitalism during his career, and was labelled a "subversive" by MI5 in his youth, for his involvement with Christian socialist activism. 

Back in 2012, before Scotland's independence referendum, he commented that he was "still to be persuaded" whether independence for the UK nations would work in practice, favouring strengthened devolution instead.

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MS Mick Antoniw is expected to announce further details about the committee this afternoon

The constitutional commission was announced back in June, as part of a Welsh Government document outlining its views on the changing state of the Union, and the reforms needed to keep it intact.

However, last month the government told the Argus' sister paper The National that the commission would be free to "reach its own conclusions" about Wales's future in the union.

Professor McAllister confirmed to the BBC last night that they would consider independence, saying that it would be "ludicrous" to leave that option off the table. 

This will be welcome news for Plaid Cymru.

Constitutional spokesperson Rhys ab Owen said last night: “We welcome Professor Laura McAllister and Dr Rowan Williams to post, and wish them well in their roles as Chairs.

“Plaid Cymru looks forward to engaging constructively with the Commission and its work, making use of every opportunity it presents to make the case for independence.

"Our nation’s interests will be best served when decisions over Wales’s future are placed in Wales’s hands.”

The Welsh Conservatives, meanwhile, say that the inquiry will waste time and resources. 

The remaining members of the committee are expected to be appointed in the coming weeks, with its first meeting due to take place in November. The public will be consulted as part of the committee's enquiries.

• This article originally appeared on our sister site The National.