Prime Minister Andy Burnham has warned that too many young Scots are out of work during a visit to Glasgow to promote his vision of further devolution across the UK.
Burnham chaired a meeting of the National Economic Council in the city, where he met leaders from Scotland and Wales and representatives from Northern Ireland to discuss handing regions more powers to control employment support and funding for reindustrialisation.
Meeting with devolved leaders
SNP leader John Swinney and Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth both want a wider conversation about independence, but Burnham has ruled out holding referendums on the issue.
The Prime Minister highlighted plans for devolution at the regional level and said he wanted to ensure no one country was “left behind”.
“It’s really important that we all move at the same pace together, and I won’t allow anything to delay that,” he said. “Growth can’t wait. People need to see improvements in employment and in living standards in all parts of the UK.”
Employment support and innovation funding
Asked whether he had offered the devolved administrations any additional powers, Burnham said: “We had a good discussion today on two fronts.
“One around reindustrialisation and the offer of more devolution of innovation funding to the regional level.
“It’s about creating those structures at a regional level and that’s a matter for Scotland and Wales to decide what that looks like in both countries.
“It’s not for me to impose or try to interfere there. But once there is a vehicle that can be backed by the Scottish Government, it can be backed by the UK Government, both coming together to work jointly, and in the context of reindustrialisation, more devolution of innovation funding.”
He added: “Secondly, we had a conversation about employment support, and particularly young people. There are too many young people out of work here in Scotland, in Wales, and in England too.”
He said the Government would look at “arrangements for further devolution of employment support, particularly for young people in both Scotland and Wales” following the meeting.
Devolution agenda
The Prime Minister has put devolution at the heart of his policy agenda since entering Downing Street this summer, pledging to “rewire the state” and hand more control to regional mayors and authorities across England in a bid to boost growth.
His vision for further devolution at the national level has been less clear, but the Prime Minister has said he will listen to the administrations’ calls for further powers while advocating that they share more responsibilities with local authorities.
Swinney described the meeting with the PM as “constructive”, adding: “We explored a number of issues of domestic significance to Scotland and also issues in relation to the devolution of further powers to Scotland in the area of employability and in the work of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
“We’ve agreed to take forward the detailed work in those areas and the Scottish Government will engage constructively to make sure that we secure more responsibilities to be exercised here in Scotland that advances and improves the lives of the people of our country.”
