Prime Minister Andy Burnham has been accused of avoiding the question of Scottish independence after using a major speech in North Lanarkshire to offer greater economic powers to communities across Scotland.
Scottish Greens co-leader Gillian Mackay challenged the Prime Minister on Friday 16 October, arguing that his proposals for further devolution failed to address whether Scotland should be allowed to hold another independence referendum.
Speaking in Motherwell, Burnham called for a new approach to regional economic development, offering to work with the Scottish Government to give communities greater control over investment, employment support and local economic decisions.
He described the proposals as a genuine opportunity for Scotland’s two governments to work together, suggesting that political attention should move beyond constitutional disagreements towards practical improvements in people’s lives.
The Prime Minister also proposed exploring the devolution of employment support through the Department for Work and Pensions, with arrangements shaped to meet Scotland’s particular circumstances.
His intervention came during the SNP’s annual conference in Aberdeen, where independence remains central to the party’s political programme.
However, the Scottish Greens argue that promises of additional powers cannot replace the right of people in Scotland to determine their country’s constitutional future.
Mackay said:
“Andy Burnham’s speech in Scotland today was a complete distraction from his ongoing anti-democratic block on a second independence referendum.
“It is not for Andy Burnham to decide that we should ‘move beyond the constitutional question’.
“It is notable that he refused to rule out an independence referendum during his time as Prime Minister, this is a challenge for the independence movement to create the biggest possible demand for one and keep the pressure on Westminster.
“Scotland has recently elected its largest pro-independence majority in the history of our Parliament.
“Andy Burnham cannot continue to promise greater devolution while ignoring the will of the Scottish people.
“It doesn’t add up.
“The Scottish Greens have long argued that local councils need real powers to build communities where everyone can thrive and that reform should be at the heart of this.
“But the Prime Minister is ignoring the reality that Scotland doesn’t have many of the powers it needs to make the decisions that would deliver fundamental change.
“While Andy Burnham is trying to frame this as two governments working together, we have heard empty promises like this from Westminster before.
“The people of Scotland deserve a choice in the future of their country through an independence referendum, but the Prime Minister seems content to try and impose his vision on us rather than listen to what voters want.
“It is simply more of the same from a Labour Government that continues to disrespect the will of the Scottish people.”
The disagreement highlights two competing approaches to Scotland’s constitutional future, with Burnham advocating greater cooperation and decentralisation within the United Kingdom while the Greens want the opportunity for another referendum.
Under the existing constitutional arrangements, the Scottish Parliament cannot unilaterally legislate for an independence referendum without the necessary authority from Westminster.
The UK Supreme Court confirmed that position in 2022, establishing that legislation for a referendum would relate to reserved constitutional matters.
Burnham’s proposals could have implications for communities across the Highlands and Islands, particularly where employment support, infrastructure investment and local decision making are affected by distance and geography.
However, the detailed arrangements for transferring additional powers have yet to be agreed between the governments.
For Mackay, the central issue remains whether greater devolution can meaningfully address Scotland’s political demands while the decision on another independence referendum remains with Westminster.
