ANDY Burnham has made a vague pledge to "extend devolution" in Scotland during a speech which largely focused on England.
The Makerfield MP who looks set to be the UK's new prime minister made a speech in Manchester on Monday where he vowed to bring about the “biggest rebalancing of power our country has seen”.
He said he would offer "new opportunities to extend devolution in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by taking power deeper down" adding that "the people of Dundee and Bangor feel just as distant from Holyrood and the Senedd as they do from Westminster".
Burnham also said he will introduce "powers for areas undergoing industrial transition", referencing Aberdeen as one of those areas.
However, he failed to mention Scotland beyond this, with no further details given on how he plans to "extend devolution".
Instead, the speech largely focused on plans for more regional devolution in England via a so-called "Number 10 North" based in Manchester, which would see "power flow into the Midlands, into the South West, into the East of England" and "into London."
SNP Westminster leader Dave Doogan said there was "nothing of substance" for Scotland in Burnham's proposals, adding it was "telling" he has not involved devolved governments in the conversation about redistributing power.
"The Labour Party promised change two years ago but has only delivered chaos. The cost of living is soaring, unemployment is rising and Brexit Britain is more broken than ever," said Doogan.
"Andy Burnham is making the same empty promises, while keeping all of Westminster's most damaging policies - Brexit, austerity cuts and Tory spending rules.
"The SNP has been calling for meaningful devolution for years but there is nothing of substance for Scotland in these proposals - and nothing that will fundamentally improve people's lives.
"It's telling that Andy Burnham is setting out Westminster's top-down, England-centric plans without even involving the devolved governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in the conversation - and he seems to think Manchester is the north of the UK, when it’s barely the north of England.
"If Andy Burnham was serious about devolution then he should start by devolving the energy powers the Scottish Parliament has already voted for - instead of keeping control over Scotland’s energy at Westminster. If he genuinely believes people should have more control over their future, then he must explain why he wants to block people in Scotland from having any choice over ours - by denying Scotland’s democratic right to choose our own future with independence."
Burnham gave his speech to an audience of around 100 supporters with the front row taken up by English regional mayors including Steve Rotheram, Mayor of Liverpool City Region, Oliver Coppard from South Yorkshire, Richard Parker, from the West Midlands and Tracy Brabin, from West Yorkshire.
Lucy Powell, deputy leader of the Labour Party, sat across the central aisle from the mayors, one among a number of MPs local to Manchester, including Jonathan Reynolds and Afzal Khan.
Burnham said the job of his so-called "Number 10 North" will be to make power flow into different regions across the UK, but he then only appeared to reference English regions.
Handing more powers to Scottish councils would require the cooperation of Scottish ministers as local government is devolved.
"Number 10 North will be the nerve centre of a rewired Britain," he said.
"It will be the conduit through which we redistribute power and resources across the UK.”
Burnham said it would mean regions being able to take “greater public control of essential services like water, housing, energy, and transport”.
But the Scottish Parliament is already in charge of housing and transport, as well as areas like education, health, justice and policing.
During the speech, Burnham referenced "the Greater Manchester way" and "Manchesterism", suggesting this is how he will approach politics across the UK, with Scots questioning whether he is planning to treat Scotland in the same way as English regions.
“I have had 10 years of fighting the Whitehall machine, blocking this place’s progress, the progress of people here and I am simply not prepared to accept the same for any area coming after Greater Manchester," Burnham said.
“The whole of Whitehall will now be required to get behind our places and work together with them to make quicker, more joined-up decisions.”
SNP MP Pete Wishart said on Twitter/X that he was "confused" as to where Burnham would be taking the UK following the speech.
"Listening to that I'm even more confused about where he will be taking the UK. Apparently we're all going to be like Manchester and ran from a 'number 10 north'," he posted.
The Scottish Greens said Burnham's speech created more questions than answers on Scotland.
“This speech was big on rhetoric but short on policy, leaving people in Scotland with more questions than answers," said MSP Kristopher Leask.
"Burnham is right that the UK is far too centralised, but this was clearly a speech aimed at the English regions, with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland treated as an afterthought.
"Which powers does he believe should be devolved—and, more importantly, which does he think Scotland should still be denied?
"Scotland's councils desperately need more funding. Any increase for English local authorities must be matched with greater support for Scotland after years of Westminster cuts."
In her response to Burnham's speech, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch was widely criticised for referring to his female allies as "handmaidens".
She said: "I've also found it very interesting how Labour women have been so much in a hurry to carry his bags and be his handmaiden and be at the front of his photo pool."
First Minister of Wales Rhun ap Iorwerth said a Number 10 of the North would mean "very little" to Wales.
“I have been arguing for many years that the Westminster system is a broken system," he said.
“That is why this Welsh Government set out our expectations on day one that Wales both needs and deserves a fairer settlement on funding and powers.
“Wales already has a new government giving people a new sense of agency, possibility and hope on priorities – from cutting waiting lists, to rolling out fully funded childcare, to creating good jobs.
“Regardless of who leads the UK Government, I will be making the same positive case in a constructive manner – fair funding and parity of powers with Scotland must be a bare minimum for Wales, and I look forward to pursuing a respect agenda that works both ways.”
Ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn welcomed proposals for further devolution but said it was "not enough to fix the crises facing us all".
He argued for the mass redistribution of wealth and power, pushing for policies like rent controls and a wealth tax, and called for Burnham to end all arms sales to Israel.
He added: "Starmer went after the sick and disabled to fund his thirst for war. Repeating this strategy would be a catastrophic mistake.
"Instead of wasting billions on weapons, we should invest in schools, renewable energy and our NHS. That is what real security means.
"Palestine is the litmus test. Britain must end all arms sales to Israel, impose real sanctions, and establish an independent inquiry into Britain's participation in genocide. Anything less will be a continuation of Britain's complicity in the greatest crime of our time."
