Andy Burnham to visit Scotland in middle of SNP party conference

Andy Burnham is to stage his first major political intervention in Scotland this week in a move that appears designed to disrupt the SNP’s conference. The Times understands that the prime minister plans to travel north on Friday, in the middle of the Nationalists’ three-day gathering in Aberdeen, for an event insiders said is likely to focus on devolution. Most commented 1 Tiger kills man who ‘jumped’ into pen at Yorkshire Wildlife Park 786 comments It will be his first major public visit to Scotland since becoming prime minister in July, and could cause a headache for John Swinney on the eve of his own speech on Saturday. Top stories 1 Starbucks ‘explores takeover’ of Chipotle Mexican Grill US business Despite speculation that approval for the Jackdaw gas field is imminent , Burnham is instead understood to be keen to call for powers to be pushed out of Holyrood. The prime minister’s planned intervention is expected to focus on devolution rather than the Jackdaw gas field Vuk Valcic/Alamy Swinney faces discontent from some of his own MSPs over his plans for a major shake-up of local government, which would lead to the country’s 32 councils being abolished and replaced with as few as six super-authorities and up to 160 smaller “community” bodies. Advertisement The SNP claimed that Burnham’s time in Downing Street was fast becoming “defined by Scottish independence” after the focus he placed on the issue in his own conference speech. Top stories 1 Trump attacks Europe over Russian oil amid diesel deal row Europe 2 Budget 2026 predictions: when is it and what could change? Economics 3 ‘I went from high-flyer to house husband. Here’s how I beat my shame’ Family Finances 4 Retirement isn’t a cliff edge. It’s a window and you need to plan for that Pensions However, Scottish Labour insiders said the move showed Burnham was “taking the fight to the SNP”. “This is a smart move by the prime minister taking the fight right to the heart of the SNP during their conference this week,” a senior party source said. “Labour has a coherent and positive plan for regional devolution in Scotland, it is thought out, it is working elsewhere in the UK, and it delivers.” Burnham gave a passionate defence of the Union in his Labour conference speech, telling delegates that on the day his father had died, Swinney had claimed he would be the last ever prime minister of the UK. Burnham said that while Swinney had been unaware of his dad’s death at the time he launched the attack, the first minister’s remarks had made him “utterly determined to prove him wrong”. Advertisement The section of the speech, which saw Burnham become emotional, was well received by Scottish Labour figures who saw it as a rebuke to concerns that the new prime minister did not understand or have much interest in Scotland. Burnham defended the Union in his Labour conference speech last month times photographer Richard Pohle Burnham’s decision to focus on regional devolution could prove uncomfortable for Swinney and the SNP. Swinney has laid out little detail on how the new two-tier system in Scotland would work in practice, and the lack of substance has alarmed some SNP backbenchers. Highly contentious proposals for a radical reorganisation of the NHS and plans to cut thousands of public sector jobs, in an effort to plug a projected £5bn black hole in the devolved finances, are also causing anxiety within the SNP. Despite announcing few firm details of his local government reforms, the first minister has also explicitly ruled out directly elected mayors or provosts, a model backed by the prime minister, who was mayor of Greater Manchester for nine years. Advertisement Some Labour figures believe the SNP’s refusal to countenance elected mayors stems from fears of creating an alternative power base that could challenge Holyrood, rather than from doubts that the model would not work north of the border. John Swinney at last year’s SNP conference Jane Barlow/PA Before he became prime minister, Burnham backed the idea of Edinburgh and Glasgow having elected mayors, and attacked public transport outside the Scottish capital as “rubbish”. Devolution in Scotland, he claimed in 2024, had gone “badly wrong” because the SNP obsessed over the politics of independence instead of making people’s lives better. Friend or foe? How Andy Burnham will deal with the SNP But since becoming prime minister, his interventions on Scottish affairs have been limited. Last month, in the House of Commons, Burnham suggested he was open to sanctioning another independence referendum, in comments that were seen as a gaffe. He quickly clarified that a new Scottish independence referendum remained “off limits” as no consensus for one existed. Advertisement Swinney, meanwhile, has recently attacked Burnham over his plan to end the triple lock on state pensions . Swinney was accused of misleading parliament over claims Scots were set to “lose our pensions” under the proposals, when in fact, they would be upgraded by a lesser amount than would otherwise have been the case. It emerged on Monday that Swinney would not face an investigation over allegations he had misled parliament. In a letter to Kenneth Gibson, Holyrood’s presiding officer, he said his independent advisers on the ministerial code had “concluded that no investigation is required”. Swinney said separately in an interview on Monday that the triple lock could remain in an independent Scotland. However, he has also made clear that they would eventually be paid in a new Scottish currency, rather than sterling. Scotland newsletter Your weekend briefing from the Scotland edition of The Times and The Sunday Times. Sign up with one click You’ve successfully signed up to the Scotland newsletter Explore our newsletters An error occurred. Please use the link below. Scotland newsletter Explore our newsletters “Scottish pensioners are going to lose out as a consequence of the abolition of the triple lock, and that’s the blunt point that I’m making,” he said. “I know that is very, very uncomfortable for some of my political rivals to come to terms with, but that’s the reality of what’s going to happen.” Advertisement Keith Brown, the SNP’s deputy leader, said: “Andy Burnham made Scottish independence the focus of his conference speech and now he is coming to Scotland to get in on the act during ours. Andy Burnham’s time in Downing Street is fast becoming defined by Scottish independence — it is the central question on these islands. “The British prime minister agreed it is for the Scottish people to decide our own future, the Cardiff agreement crystallised that the age of Westminster is coming to an end and the Scottish parliament — with Scottish Labour support — backed Scotland’s right to decide. “Polling shows independence is the preferred choice of the Scottish people and Andy Burnham should use his time in Scotland to agree a legal process for that to happen.”