The Prime Minister will set out her vision for a new way of working between the UK Government and the devolved administrations at her first Joint Ministerial Committee.
The JMC, which brings together devolved administration leaders with the Prime Minister, has not been held since December 2014.
As she chairs her first meeting of the committee on Monday, the Prime Minister will call on the devolved administrations to commit to fully working with the UK government to enhance the prosperity and security of the people of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
She will set out how the UK Government is resolute in its commitment to strengthening the union further and making a success of the opportunities ahead.
Additionally, the PM will seek agreement on strengthening ways of working, guaranteeing that relationships will be built on a basis of “cooperation and consensus”.
If the meeting agrees the proposed changes, the JMC will be put on a new formal setting:
* guaranteeing meetings at least once every 12 months;
* committing to an annual report of the committee’s work and priorities;
* and breaking with tradition by announcing that the event will be hosted by each of the four governments on a revolving basis.
Monday’s meeting will see the Prime Minister meet Nicola Sturgeon, Carwyn Jones, Arlene Foster and Martin McGuinness at Downing Street to discuss how the administrations can work together to get the best deal for the UK and seize the opportunities that exiting the EU will bring.
She will also invite the First and deputy First Ministers to take up a key role in helping to build a new industrial strategy for the whole of the UK, to spread wealth, jobs and opportunity more evenly, and ensure the economy works for everyone.
Prime Minister Theresa May said: “When I stood upon the steps of Downing Street I made clear the importance of our great Union.
“Far more than mere geography brings us together – and we are much more than the sum of our parts. As we move into this new chapter, we must seize the opportunities ahead, as we will achieve far more together than we could ever do apart.
“I want Monday’s meeting to be the start of a new grown up relationship between the devolved administrations and the UK Government – one in which we all work together to forge the future for everyone in the United Kingdom.”
Monday’s JMC will also seek to agree a new memorandum on joint working, ensuring that relations between the governments will be conducted on the principles of mutual respect, and cooperation and consensus.
In addition, it will hear a presentation from Business Secretary Greg Clark on the development of the UK’s new industrial strategy – and how each of the devolved administrations can help shape it.
The Prime Minister met all the heads of the devolved administrations within her first month of taking up office, and has made it a priority of the UK Government to fully engage with them on the UK’s exit from the EU.
