First Minister John Swinney raised the prospect of a second independence referendum (indyref2) in his first telephone conversation with new Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Tuesday morning. The call took place the day after Burnham succeeded Keir Starmer as Prime Minister.
A Scottish Government spokesperson described the discussion as cordial, with Swinney congratulating Burnham on his appointment and expressing a commitment to working constructively on the cost-of-living crisis and lowering energy bills. However, Swinney also stated the majority within the Scottish Parliament for Scotland's future to be decided by its people and looked forward to a constructive dialogue on the issue.
Burnham's Stance on Devolution and Indyref2
Andy Burnham, a committed devolutionist, has advocated for more powers to be handed to nations and regions. However, he favors additional responsibilities for local communities in Scotland rather than the Holyrood parliament. He remains opposed to indyref2, which is the top demand of Swinney's administration.
Burnham's position contrasts with that of the SNP, which seeks a referendum on Scottish independence. The First Minister also extended an invitation to host Burnham at Bute House at the earliest opportunity.
SNP Criticism of Douglas Alexander
The constructive tone of the government statement contrasted with an SNP press release criticizing Douglas Alexander, who remains Scottish Secretary. Swinney believes relations have soured since Alexander took over and would have preferred a different Scottish Labour MP in charge.
SNP MP David Linden said: "Douglas Alexander masterminded the Labour Party’s worst ever defeat in Scotland, sat silent as thousands of oil and gas jobs were lost in Scotland and was shamed over disgraceful message exchanges with Peter Mandelson - he pulled the wool over Starmer’s eyes and it seems he’s repeated the trick with Burnham."
Linden added: "Scotland doesn’t need this servant of Westminster having any say over our future - if Andy Burnham is serious about where power lies on these islands then his first instruction to Douglas Alexander should be to respect the democratic will of the Scottish Parliament and give the Scottish people the right to decide our constitutional future."
He concluded: "Westminster has failed Scotland and no one is more part of that London based Westminster establishment than Douglas Alexander - through a fresh start with independence, we can build a wealthier Scotland anew, free of broken, Brexit Britain."
