Burnham invites Swinney to work on regional devolution deal

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has invited Scottish First Minister John Swinney to work with the UK government on a new regional economic development deal, arguing that more power should reach local communities as well as Holyrood. [1]

Speaking at an event in North Lanarkshire, Burnham said work on the deal should begin in the coming months and could include an offer of devolved powers from the Department for Work and Pensions. He said Scotland’s own local-government reforms needed to “move faster” before further powers were transferred from the Scottish Parliament to local areas. [1]

Burnham described the proposal as an effort to move beyond constitutional disputes and focus on practical concerns, including the cost of living. He said devolution “was never supposed to stop at the doors” of Holyrood, which opened in 1999, and called Scotland both the UK’s most devolved nation and “one of the most centralised in Europe”. [1]

Swinney said before Burnham’s speech that he was interested in “working constructively” with Westminster and supported the Scottish Parliament having as many powers as possible. He is expected to use his keynote address at the SNP conference on Saturday to renew his case for independence. [1]

The invitation comes amid disagreement over the constitutional question. Burnham has previously said a second Scottish independence referendum remains “off limits”, despite earlier comments that a border poll could be considered if there were a clear consensus and public opinion had changed. [1]