The Prime Minister has been accused of leaving the way open to another divisive Scottish independence referendum after refusing to rule out a vote during his time in office.
Speaking at a major address in Motherwell, Andy Burnham stopped short of rejecting the possibility of a second referendum, saying instead that his own position on independence “won’t be changing”.
The speech was Mr Burnham’s first major address in Scotland since he became Prime Minister. He delivered it at New College Lanarkshire’s Motherwell campus, which stands on the former Ravenscraig steelworks site.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay accused Mr Burnham of once again creating an opportunity for First Minister John Swinney to press for another independence vote.
“During his rare trip to Scotland, Andy Burnham should have been backing new [North Sea] drilling,” Mr Findlay said. “Instead, he was talking at length about theoretical constitutional arrangements and procedures. This is a huge distraction that will not create one job, aside from providing more work for the boys.”
A source close to the First Minister said Mr Swinney was “surprised” that the Prime Minister had not given a firm commitment to rule out another referendum.
Economy Secretary Stephen Flynn described the remarks as a “very significant moment in Scotland’s constitutional journey”.
Andy Burnham was visiting Scotland as the SNP held its annual conference in Aberdeen
After the speech, journalists asked Mr Burnham whether he would exclude the possibility of a second Scottish independence referendum for the entire period of his premiership.
He said he supported unions in every form, including trade unions, and argued that countries were stronger when they worked together. In his view, cooperation allows nations to face an increasingly difficult world with greater confidence.
Mr Burnham said he had already made his position known to Scottish First Minister John Swinney, while acknowledging that the two men disagreed. He urged both sides to recognise that difference and concentrate on areas where they could work together.
“My view won’t be changing,” he said, before calling for attention to shift towards issues where progress could be made.
Mr Flynn said the exchange showed that the Prime Minister had been asked directly about ruling out an independence referendum but had chosen not to do so.
He argued that Mr Burnham may have avoided a definitive refusal because it would appear hypocritical to support debate on a possible second referendum on European Union membership while denying Scottish voters a similar discussion about their constitutional future.
Mr Flynn added that the Prime Minister had again indicated he was not fundamentally opposed to a second independence referendum, building on previous comments made in the House of Commons. He said the position marked a “very significant moment” in Scotland’s constitutional debate.
In the Commons last month, Mr Burnham said the conditions for holding a second Scottish independence referendum should be “exactly the same” as those that would apply to a referendum on Irish reunification.
He subsequently appeared to take a firmer stance, describing a second Scottish independence referendum as “off limits”.
Mr Burnham’s visit coincided with the SNP’s annual conference in Aberdeen.
His speech centred on expanding devolution in Scotland. He called for an end to the “tribal politics” often seen between Holyrood and Westminster and urged Mr Swinney to look beyond the constitutional dispute, focusing instead on “solutions for people right now”.
Mr Burnham also described Scotland as “one of the most centralised nations in Europe” and called for significantly greater devolution north of the border.
He said: ‘Devolution was never supposed to stop at the doors of the Scottish Parliament.’
Mr Burnham said he would set out plans for a ‘new deal’ for regional economic development in the coming months. The proposals are expected to include an offer of further devolution from the Department for Work and Pensions.
He also called on Mr Swinney to transfer more powers from Holyrood to local areas.
The Scottish Government announced plans last month to overhaul regional governance, replacing the current 32 local authorities with six new regional authorities.
However, details of how the proposed system would operate have yet to be released. Trade unions and SNP councillors have raised concerns that the changes could reduce local accountability.
Mr Swinney said he was willing to work with the Prime Minister if he devolved more powers to Scotland.
He said: ‘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.’
Mr Flynn also said Mr Swinney had written to the Prime Minister this week seeking greater powers for Holyrood, with employability powers listed at number seven on the list of requests.