Scotland is one of the most centralised nations in Europe, says Burnham

Andy Burnham has called for “deeper” devolution in Scotland, describing it as “one of the most centralised nations in Europe”.

Speaking in Motherwell, the Prime Minister said devolution “was never supposed to stop at the doors of the Scottish Parliament”.

He said: “It was always meant to be the start of something deeper, the foundations of a nation where communities had more of a say in their own future, and where the norm was always to push power out until it reached every person and every postcode.

“Instead, we’ve ended up with a situation where Scotland, the most devolved nation in the UK, is itself one of the most centralised nations in Europe.

“And I don’t say that to score points, genuinely I don’t. I say that because I believe we need to be honest about that if we really want to get growth in every postcode.”

Referring to his drive to increase devolution for English regions, he added: “I want those same opportunities for Scotland and Scottish regions; the chance to stop looking back at what was once here and start looking forward to what’s coming next.”

Burnham said he was making a “serious and genuine offer” to John Swinney’s Scottish Government to work together on devolving power.

The Prime Minister said: “We won’t agree on everything, and we’re not going to, and we shouldn’t try because there are some things we will disagree on. But that does not mean, just because you can’t agree on everything, it doesn’t mean you can’t agree on anything.

“We can agree on some things and I know that because I’ve worked with John over a long period of time.”

He added: “I want to make a serious and genuine offer to the Scottish Government. I want to move on from the old politics of conflict.”

Asked whether devolving power more locally in Scotland would make independence more or less likely, the Prime Minister said: “I just feel we all have to move beyond the constitutional questions.

“In my view, people in Scotland are suffering from the cost of living crisis, like they are in England and everywhere else, and I think our job is to focus on the practicalities, to focus on solutions for people right now.”

Scotland’s First Minister has pledged to work with the Prime Minister if he wants to devolve more powers to Scotland.

Speaking to journalists at the SNP conference in Aberdeen, Swinney said: “The Prime Minister is very welcome in Scotland and I’ll be interested to hear what he’s got to say.”

He added that he, “of course”, would take the Prime Minister up on his offer of co-operation, saying: “I’ve got a track record throughout my political life of working to make sure as many powers as possible are exercised here in Scotland.

“I voted for the Scotland Act in 1998, so we could establish the Scottish Parliament. I’ve been a member of the Scottish Parliament since 1999. My participation in the Smith Commission got substantial extra powers delivered to Scotland, which has allowed us to tackle child poverty with measures such as the Scottish Child Payment.

“So I’m all for the Scottish Parliament having as many powers as it possibly can do, and I’ll work constructively to make sure we bring all those powers to Scotland.”