Burnham meets Swinney for first time as Prime Minister

Andy Burnham has met with First Minister John Swinney during his visit to Scotland for the Commonwealth Games.

It’s the first in-person meeting between the Scottish and UK leaders since Burnham became Prime Minister on Monday.

The Prime Minister thanked the Scottish Government and the City of Glasgow for stepping up to host the Commonwealth Games.

Previously, the Labour leader signalled he did not want to discuss the prospect of another independence referendum with the SNP leader.

But after their meeting Swinney said they discussed devolution and self-government, and noted opportunities for the devolution of further powers.

A statement released by Swinney’s office said the Prime Minister “made a commitment” not to bypass the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government in further devolution of powers.

It also said that Burnham agreed the way in which the UK Government engages with the devolved governments had to improve.

The First Minister and the Prime Minister also discussed economic growth, the cost of living crisis and investment in public services.

They also had a discussion about oil and gas in which the First Minister raised the windfall tax (officially known as the Energy Profits Levy) as the biggest obstacle to investment in the North East.

Burnham arrived in Glasgow on Thursday to watch the opening ceremony for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, where he will be joined by the King and Queen.

He also met the First Minister of Wales, Rhun ap Iorwerth.

The UK Government has said Burnham would set out how he plans to work “collaboratively” with devolved governments “based on a genuine partnership”.

Ahead of the meeting, the Prime Minister said: “When I say we need good growth in every postcode, I mean every postcode across the whole of the UK. Every place and every person matters.

“I’m not focused on point scoring or discussing constitutional changes like referendums, I want practical measures to help people live well and bring back hope.

“That’s why I’m giving families more breathing space with help on the cost of living, which I have started this week by taking VAT off electricity bills, saving money for millions of households.”