MICHAEL Gove has signalled that the UK Government will be looking at ways to “modernise” the UK constitution after Brexit.

The Cabinet Office minister’s words will further stoke fears that Westminster is planning to “demolish devolution”, following as they do from Jacob Rees-Mogg’s stronger hints at constitutional change late last month.

Gove’s talk of constitutional “renovation” did not go as far as Rees-Mogg in saying that Labour’s constitutional “tinkering” must be undone.

The Conservative leader of the House of Commons previously said that Tony Blair’s government’s constitutional changes had “weakened our parliament and helped to divide the United Kingdom”, and added that he hopes “that this government finds an effective way of restoring our constitution to its proper form”.

Instead, Gove said that “we do need to look at every part” of the current constitutional arrangement “to make sure that it is fit for purpose”.

The top Tory was answering questions at a meeting of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee from fellow Tory MP David Mundell.

Mundell, the representative for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale, was asking Gove about Government plans to introduce a commission into the constitution and what its scope may be.

READ MORE: Fear Tories may 'demolish' Holyrood as top MP says party 'must undo' devolution

Gove stressed that he is a supporter of the principle that the UK is “stronger together”, but that that doesn’t mean that the constitution cannot be examined to ensure that it is as “responsive as possible”.

He said that “either [him] or the Prime Minister will be saying a wee bit more early in the new year about some other ways we can modernise the constitution”.

The Tory MP for Surrey Heath told the committee that there was ongoing work in government looking at “for some time, as part of the broader constitutional renovation work, how to improve the way the UK Government works with all the administrations in the UK”.

These announcements are likely to herald centralisation of power at Westminster rather than further devolution, given that Boris Johnson has said he does not "see a case" for handing more powers to Holyrood, Stormont or the Senedd and that devolution has been a "disaster".

Gove stressed that changing the constitution would require “thoughtful specialist care” from many experts looking at many constituent parts.

Gove also told the committee that the Government would be looking at ways of making sure the Human Rights Act works “even more effectively”.

The Brexit transition period will end on January 1, with or without a trade deal with the EU.

The Tories’ international law-breaking Internal Market Bill has been branded a “power grab” and an “assault on devolution”, as it will allow the Westminster Government to intervene in devolved areas without the consent of the devolved administrations.

SNP MP Ronnie Cowan asked Gove at the committee meeting if the Tories would push ahead with the bill "regardless" of the views of the devolved governments. 

The Tory said: "Yes", but added that Westminster would not be acting "regardless" of the devolved nations, but with "enormous regard" for their views.

Following on from Rees-Mogg's comments in November, SNP MSP Tom Arthur warned that the UK risks "seeing devolution demolished by the Tories".