devo max
noun [mass noun] British
A proposed constitutional arrangement by which Scotland would be granted full economic independence from the rest of the United Kingdom but would still be subject to governance by the British Parliament in particular areas, such as defence or foreign policy: opinion polls placed public support for devo max at 60 per cent the First Minister was accused of ‘flying in the face of economic reality’ by pushing for devo max...
- The constitutional future of Scotland appears to be swirling around options of devo max, status quo or independence/separation from the UK.
- But they pointedly refused to put Devo Max on the referendum ballot.
- The reason devo max cannot be a referendum option is that it would win hands down.
Origin
Early 21st century: from abbreviations of devolution and maximum.