JOHN Swinney has issued a stark warning to the incoming new prime minister, urging Andy Burnham not to “repeat the mistakes of his predecessors” and accept that the people of Scotland’s want for self-determination “cannot simply be wished away”.
The First Minister’s comments come after Burnham was made the leader of the Labour Party on Friday and is expected to become the UK’s tenth prime minister in 10 years on Monday following Keir Starmer's resignation just two years into the job.
The Makerfield MP made a vague pledge to “extend devolution” in Scotland during a speech which largely focused on England in June.
He vowed to bring about the “biggest rebalancing of power our country has seen” and that he would offer “new opportunities to extend devolution in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by taking power deeper down”.
However, the soon-to-be prime minister has been warned by Swinney that his promise of diverting power away from Westminster and into the hands of the people is simply playing “catch up” with how the public feels about the UK Government.
The First Minister wished Burnham well as he enters 10 Downing Street on Monday and reaffirmed that he is “committed” to working with him to “improve the lives of people in Scotland”.
He added: “There is a feeling of Groundhog Day about welcoming yet another new prime minister – the seventh in just ten years. Nothing better sums up Westminster’s chronic failure to improve people’s lives.
“Burnham is absolutely right that Westminster has let people down, so he cannot simply repeat the mistakes of his predecessors. There must be an end to the pandering to Nigel Farage, and a clear and immediate change of direction - on Brexit, on the cost of living, on austerity and much more.
“In pledging to get power away from Westminster and into the hands of the people, Mr Burnham is of course playing catch-up with the public. There are now pro-independence First Ministers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, there are record numbers of pro-independence parliamentarians in Holyrood and the Senedd, and majority support for independence in Scotland in most polls.”
Swinney went on to say that Westminster has “abandoned people” and that it is no surprise to him that, in turn, people are “abandoning Westminster”.
He added: “The clear desire people have for self-determination cannot simply be wished away.
“If Andy Burnham is serious about strengthening the powers of the Scottish Parliament so we can grow Scotland’s economy and raise living standards, then he will find a willing partner in me. But the incoming prime minister must accept that Scotland’s future cannot be decided by whoever happens to be the current incumbent of Downing Street – it must be decided by the people of Scotland.”
Swinney ended his message to the Labour leader saying that he will be ultimately judged not on his words, but on his actions.
The First Minister warned that if Westminster “fails Scotland yet again, it will be clearer than ever that the only way we can take the powers we need to deliver the progress people want is with the fresh start of independence”.
