First published in 1983, this textbook is now published in a completely revised and updated form to take full account of changes in policy-making in the second half of Mrs Thatcher's first decade in power.

In 1999 the Blair government introduced British devolution as part of a major program of constitutional reform. This development posed major questions concerning how relations with the EU would be affected. Previously, policymaking in the UK had been centralized on Whitehall and Westminster. However, devolution to Scotland and Wales introduced new actors; the Scottish Executive and Parliament, and the National Assembly for Wales. This study explores the institutional changes designed to accommodate these devolved authorities, while maintaining a central role for the UK government.

This is a path breaking study of the European Union's impact on UK central government. It is the first book to deal comprehensively with the EU's impact on central government across the period from the UK's first application to join in 1961 right up to the end of the Blair administration.

What has been the impact of the EU on UK central government? This book explores the 'Europeanisation' of the work of civil servants and ministers and how they engage with the EU. Drawing on fresh empirical evidence, the volume offers the first comprehensive analysis of the spreading impact of European integration across government. The study is placed in the context of political divisions over the EU but outlines the often neglected way in which the EU has transformed the business of government. It charts the process from the Macmillan government's 1961 application to join the European...