Second independence referendum off limits as Burnham invites Swinney to work together on deeper Scottish devolution

Power beyond Holyrood

At an event in Motherwell, Burnham called for more authority to move from Holyrood to local areas. He argued that devolution should not end at the Scottish Parliament, which opened in 1999.

Burnham described Scotland as highly devolved within the UK but still unusually centralised by European standards. He said his No10 North initiative was intended to reshape government and include Scottish regions.

Regional plans and political debate

The Scottish government announced plans last month to rethink regional authorities. Under the proposals, regional bodies would have responsibilities in areas including education and economic growth. The changes would represent Scotland’s most substantial reshaping of regional government since the current system began in 1996. Burnham also urged the Scottish and UK governments to move past what he called tribal politics.

Responses and referendum dispute

Swinney was expected to renew his case for independence at the SNP conference on Saturday. At a meeting in Glasgow, Burnham said a second referendum was not on the table, arguing that disputes over it consumed too much political energy.