THE relationship between Westminster and the devolved governments in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland must be improved with Brexit on the horizon, a former Gwent MP has said.

Speaking in the House of Lords earlier this week, Lord Murphy, who represented Torfaen for Labour from 1987 until 2015, said he was concerned the complicated process of leaving the European Union could be frustrated further unless the UK Government listened more closely to the wishes of the devolved administrations.

He said the implications of Brexit on the three devolved nations were "considerable, economically, politically and constitutionally".

"The devolution settlement, not just with Northern Ireland, but with Wales and Scotland, could itself be undermined unless we handle these negotiations properly, understanding that they can in fact directly affect the relationship between the UK Government on the one hand and the devolved administrations on the other," he said.

The former Welsh secretary, who also played a key role in the development of the Good Friday Agreement during his tenure as Northern Ireland secretary under Tony Blair from 1997 until 1999, said the relationship needed to change.

"There is no doubt in my mind that Whitehall and Westminster generally did not take the devolved administrations all that seriously after devolution," he said.

"If we think about what is happening in Spain and Catalonia at the moment, we know we do that at our peril."

He added he was particularly concerned about the impact on Welsh farming, which is heavily reliant on EU subsidies.

"It is not just about the current situation - it is about the exchange of best practice", he said.

"If Scotland are looking after the health service in a certain way which is good, why cannot the health services in Northern Ireland, Wales and England benefit from that experience?

"Why cannot there be sub-committees of the joint ministerial committees which meet bilaterally on different issues?

"This really has not been thought about enough."

Concluding, he said: "More than 10 million people live under the devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

"Frankly, they deserve better."