Andy Burnham used a speech in Motherwell on Friday, 16 October, to invite the Scottish government to work with Westminster on handing more powers to Scotland's regions and cities. The address came on the day the Scottish National Party opened its annual conference in Aberdeen, about 220km north of Motherwell, where SNP leader and First Minister John Swinney was due to speak. Burnham, who became prime minister in the summer, said devolution was meant to reach well beyond Holyrood, which opened in 1999.

A devolution offer to Holyrood

Burnham described Scotland as the most devolved nation in the UK but also one of the most centralised in Europe, and said he did not make that point to score points. He argued that big Scottish cities risked becoming underpowered compared with English cities unless the Scottish government agreed to decentralise more of its powers to regions. He proposed that the two governments start work within the next few months on a new deal for regional economic development, including a devolution offer from the Department for Work and Pensions. Directly addressing Swinney, he put the offer in plain terms:

“I want to push economic power out into the regions of Scotland, do you? Because if you do, let's agree on it.”

He added that he was not coming to impose a model on Scotland, saying that decision belonged to the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government. He also said the Scottish government's plans for local government reform had to move faster.

Independence off the table

Burnham moved to dampen talk of another referendum. Earlier, he had told MPs that a border poll could be considered in Scotland and Northern Ireland if there was a clear consensus and public opinion had changed, a point Swinney had welcomed. He later told Swinney at a Glasgow meeting that a second Scottish independence referendum remained out of bounds. Describing the independence debate, he said:

“Too much time is wasted in those dramas.”

He argued that unions of countries were better placed to face a challenging world, adding that his view would not change while Swinney held a different one. He framed his approach as focusing on solutions for people right now rather than constitutional questions.

Swinney's response at the SNP conference

Swinney spoke at the conference shortly before Burnham's lunchtime speech and said he would work with the UK government on empowering Scotland's regions. He said:

“I've got a track record throughout my political life of working to make sure as many powers as possible are exercised here in Scotland.”

He rejected a suggestion from Douglas Alexander, the UK Labour government's Scottish secretary, that Holyrood was hoarding power, saying the secretary of state had no clear grasp of the issue. Senior SNP politicians interviewed by The Irish Times said they were puzzled that Burnham chose the middle of their conference to visit Scotland. Swinney is scheduled to give his keynote speech on Saturday, 17 October, and is expected to promote a renewed push for independence.

Political backdrop

The SNP won a fifth consecutive Scottish Parliament election in May, though with fewer seats than in 2021. The party had been hit hard at the 2024 general election, when Labour gained 36 seats from the SNP. Its former chief executive, Peter Murrell, was jailed for embezzling more than £400,000 from the party. Burnham's critics, including the SNP, say his devolutionary instincts carry a distinctly English flavour. Nationalist governments in Scotland and Wales remain wary that boosting regions could strip power from their national parliaments.