Center-regional relations in the UK through the prism of interaction between the National and Scottish political elites

The article is devoted to center-regional relations in the UK in the context of interaction between the national and Scottish political elite. The author makes the hypothesis that the causes of tension between the two elite groups are not limited to the governmental and economic crises that erupted in 2022 but are also caused by political-ideological factors and differences in habitus. Amid the aggravation of relations between the center and regions in the UK, it is important to analyze what leverages the regional elite of Scotland has on Westminster to promote both the region’s interests and to form a national policy. The aim of the paper is to identify the features of the Scottish political elite habitus in order to understand the region's aspirations for secession, and to identify the mechanisms that the Scottish elite represented by the Scottish National Party uses to implement its own agenda. It was revealed that the significant strengthening of the positions of regional political forces in the United Kingdom, due to the process of devolution, as well as the institutional presence of the SNP in the UK Parliament, provide the Scottish elite with the opportunity to effectively influence Westminster.

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