Burnham meets Scottish and Welsh first ministers in Glasgow, says UK nations must 'move together' on devolution

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham met Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney and Wales’ First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth in Glasgow on Friday 30 October at the first National Economic Council for the nations, the BBC reported. Northern Ireland was represented by officials.

Speaking afterwards, Burnham said the UK’s four nations must “move together” to devolve more power to regions and cities and that he wanted to ensure no nation was “left behind”. “Growth can’t wait. People need to see improvements in employment and in living standards in all parts of the UK,” he said.

The leaders discussed giving regions more control over employment support and funding for reindustrialisation, and agreed that too many young people are out of work, according to the BBC. Burnham said the UK government would look at “arrangements for further devolution of employment support for young people in both Scotland and Wales”, and urged the Scottish and Welsh governments to work jointly with Westminster on “a model of deeper devolution”.

Swinney, the SNP leader, called the meeting “a welcome start” and said he would work “constructively and collaboratively” with Burnham to devolve more powers to Scotland, while noting that the two disagree on independence. A Downing Street spokesperson said the government would review issues the first minister raised, but that this would not include a second Scottish independence referendum.

Ap Iorwerth, the Plaid Cymru leader, called the meeting “positive” and welcomed what he described as a “step forward” on the Welsh government’s fiscal and borrowing powers. He said further devolution within Wales “is a matter for the Senedd and only the Senedd”.