Andy Burnham offers to work with John Swinney on powers for Scotland’s regions

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham offered on 15 October to work with Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney, on giving Scottish regions and cities more decision-making power. The proposed shift would involve powers held at both Westminster and Holyrood, potentially changing who makes decisions for local communities. It is an offer to develop a model, not an agreed transfer of powers.

What Burnham has proposed for Scotland’s regions

The government announcement says No10 North and the Scotland Office would work with the Scottish Government on a model of regional empowerment. It presents the proposal as a way for communities to pursue economic opportunities and reindustrialisation. The announcement does not set out a timetable, funding arrangement or division of responsibilities for that model.

Burnham said he had told Swinney during his first week in office that he wanted to spread opportunities across Scotland’s regions and cities. He argued that Scotland’s devolved administration was among Europe’s most centralised and that a further stage of devolution should give local areas more authority over decisions affecting them. That comparison is Burnham’s argument for the proposal.

Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander backed the offer, saying local communities understand their needs better than ministers in London or Edinburgh. According to the Evening Standard’s PA Wire report, Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth welcomed Burnham’s visit and said Swinney had previously shown interest in working with him on public-service reform and further powers for the Scottish Parliament. Those remarks did not amount to acceptance of this regional proposal.

Why the Scotland visit matters politically

The Guardian described the visit as a political challenge for the SNP. It reported that Burnham had said there was no clear consensus for another independence referendum, while Swinney wanted a new vote before 2031. Their differing positions give the proposed cooperation a political context beyond the question of how powers might be distributed within Scotland.

The Guardian also cited Ipsos polling in which 42% of Scots said they would feel happy about the SNP-led Scottish Government working with London, up 12 points since May. That finding concerns cooperation between governments generally; it does not establish support for Burnham’s particular proposal. The reported poll passage did not give its methodology.