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The prime minister has extended an invitation to the Scottish government to collaborate on returning more authority to regional levels, emphasizing the need to move past the contentious issue of Scottish independence. Andy Burnham expressed his intention to initiate talks in the upcoming months aimed at establishing a fresh agreement focused on regional economic development. This plan would include devolving certain responsibilities from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Speaking at an event in Motherwell, Burnham urged the Scottish first minister, John Swinney, to grant additional powers from Holyrood to local areas as a preliminary step toward this goal.
Stephen Flynn, a minister from the SNP, noted that calls for greater devolution have been persistent since the publication of the Smith Commission report in 2014. Burnham highlighted that when Holyrood was established in 1999, devolution was intended to be just the beginning, fostering deeper empowerment that would allow communities greater influence over their own futures. Despite Scotland being described as the most devolved nation within the UK, Burnham pointed out that it remains one of the most centralized regions in Europe.
Burnham revealed that during his early days in office, he communicated to First Minister Swinney his desire to collaborate on expanding opportunities across Scotland’s cities and regions. Introducing the concept of “No10 North,” the prime minister is reconfiguring government operations to ensure Scottish regions are integral to this strategy. While a radical restructuring of regional authorities was proposed last month by the Scottish government—with plans to replace the current 32 local authorities with six new regional bodies responsible for key areas such as economic growth and education, and a lower tier of community authorities handling local matters—Burnham stressed the need for faster progress in local governance reform. Although details about the powers to be transferred at the regional level remain limited beyond employment support, he expressed hope that the Scottish government would also pass on some of its devolved powers to these new entities.
Burnham has made clear that he will not enforce a regional devolution model like the metropolitan mayors found in England, preferring instead to negotiate a mutually agreeable approach at an upcoming meeting with all the devolved first ministers. He also called for an end to adversarial “tribal politics” between the Scottish and UK governments, acknowledging areas of agreement with Swinney while respecting differences. The first minister is poised to advance independence efforts at the SNP conference, yet Burnham reinforced that a second referendum on independence remains off the table for now. When asked about whether enhanced local powers would affect support for independence, the prime minister affirmed his desire to preserve the United Kingdom and focus instead on addressing urgent matters such as the cost of living crisis affecting people in Scotland and across the UK.
Stephen Flynn highlighted the Scottish government’s openness to gaining more influence over economic development, referencing a recent letter from First Minister Swinney to the prime minister outlining points for engagement, including this issue. Swinney also expressed a willingness to work constructively with Westminster and his support for expanding the Scottish Parliament’s powers as much as possible. Meanwhile, UK Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch criticized Burnham’s regional devolution plan, characterizing it as patronage, and argued that efforts should focus instead on expanding opportunities in the energy sector, specifically by issuing new oil and gas licenses in the North Sea, underlining that “Devolution is a process, not a solution.”
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