The Aporia
The Aporia
McKeon, C. (2026, October 16). PM offers Scotland more powers in bid to move past ‘old politics of conflict’. Evening Standard. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/andy-burnham-scotland-prime-minister-snp-english-b1301159.html
McKeon, Christopher. “PM offers Scotland more powers in bid to move past ‘old politics of conflict’.” Evening Standard, 16 Oct. 2026, https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/andy-burnham-scotland-prime-minister-snp-english-b1301159.html.
McKeon, Christopher. “PM offers Scotland more powers in bid to move past ‘old politics of conflict’.” Evening Standard, October 16, 2026. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/andy-burnham-scotland-prime-minister-snp-english-b1301159.html.
Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.
Andy Burnham offered Scotland more powers during his first major speech north of the border since becoming Prime Minister, aiming to move beyond the "old politics of conflict" between London and Edinburgh. He proposed designing a new model of regional economic empowerment across Scotland, including devolution from the Department for Work and Pensions. Scottish Economy Secretary Stephen Flynn revealed that First Minister John Swinney had sent a letter to Burnham asking for greater powers for Holyrood, with employability powers being one of the top priorities. However, critics questioned Burnham's simultaneous efforts to revive Brexit rows while urging Scots to move beyond independence debates. During his visit to Motherwell, Burnham declined to explicitly rule out another Scottish independence referendum but stated that his view on independence "won’t be changing." This led some to interpret his comments as a significant moment in the ongoing debate over Scotland’s future within the UK.
