A Machiavellian Moment? Devolution and the New Politics of Place

Abstract The Cabinet statement, Rewiring the State, published in July 2026, promises a radical devolution of the British state and a remaking of territorial politics. We review this development and assess its political and historical significance. We argue that the present conjuncture is distinctive because claims of the English North are driving a new phase of devolution, albeit with uncertain effects and unintended consequences. We identify a ‘Machiavellian moment’, full of promise and peril.