Scottish independence: Burnham insists IndyRef2 still 'off limits'

This comes just hours after First Minister John Swinney wrote to the Prime Minister following his comments on independence.

On Wednesday the Prime Minister said Scotland can have a second independence referendum if there is enough public support.

He told the House of Commons that Scotland is “exactly the same situation” as Northern Ireland, where a vote would be triggered if the UK Government thinks a majority of people want one.

Many pro-independence supporters thought this was a change in tack from the Prime Minister, who previously said a second referendum is “off limits”. However, Mr Burnham has responded to Mr Swinney reiterating that he is sticking to the 2024 Labour manifesto which opposes a second vote.

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In his letter, the Prime Minister said: “As we all recognise, Northern Ireland and Scotland have different historical experiences and therefore distinct constitutional arrangements.

“In my remarks, I was simply highlighting that there is no consensus for an independence referendum in Scotland and nor is there a clear basis to suggest that a majority of people in Northern Ireland presently wish to separate from the United Kingdom.

“Unlike the situation today, ahead of 2014 such a consensus did exist across both the Scottish Parliament and the UK Parliament, across all political parties and across civic society. In that referendum the people of Scotland made clear their continued commitment to Scotland remaining part of the UK.

“The 2024 manifesto on which Labour secured its parliamentary majority was unambiguous: ‘Labour does not support independence or another referendum’. As I made clear to you personally when we met recently in Glasgow, independence and a referendum are off limits as it would take our focus away from growing the economy and helping families with the cost-of-living.”

Mr Burnham added: “I and my government are keen to work with you and the Scottish Government to ensure Scotland, as part of the UK, is rewired to work for people and I am looking forward to progressing that shared agenda with you at our meeting of the National Economic Council where the focus will be on driving growth, opportunity and prosperity in every part of the UK.”

The response came on Thursday afternoon, just hours after the First Minister wrote to Mr Burnham calling on the Prime Minister to meet him to “turn the accepted principle into a legal mechanism for a referendum”.

In his letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Swinney said: “Your acceptance of the fact that majority support for independence in Scotland also means that a referendum should take place is welcome.

“I am encouraged that you have reconsidered your previous comments that the democratic right of the people of Scotland to choose their own future is ‘off limits’.

“This is a long-overdue acceptance of the reality that the people of Scotland will decide their own future, not the UK Government, and a clear endorsement of the fact that the UK must be a voluntary union.”

He pointed to the fact the SNP won a fifth term in office at May’s election, and that there is a pro-independence majority within the Scottish Parliament.

Mr Swinney added: “Given that, the previous refusal of the UK Government to consider Scotland’s right to decide its own future was clearly unsustainable.

“You have rightly identified that there must be a discussion about where power lies across these islands.

“By concluding a clear, understandable mechanism, both sides of the constitutional debate can move forward constructively in the full knowledge of an agreed process by which the Scottish people can exercise their democratic right at a time of their choosing.

“Now that you have agreed the principle that Scotland should have a referendum when it is likely that people would vote for independence, it is important for us to meet to discuss how we turn that principle into an agreed legal mechanism, as exists in Northern Ireland.”

Mr Swinney added his office was already working on the “necessary arrangements” for such a meeting to take place between the First Minister and the Prime Minister.

This comes after the Scottish Conservatives said Mr Burnham’s comments were “dangerously naive” and show Labour cannot be trusted to uphold the union.

Party leader Russell Findlay said: “Andy Burnham has pulled the pin on a constitutional hand grenade - which John Swinney has now thrown back at him.

“The ex-Manchester mayor is dangerously naïve about the SNP’s relentless agitation to break up the United Kingdom.

“It was inevitable that John Swinney would pounce on Burnham’s naïve comparison between Scotland and Northern Ireland.

“Opening the door to another divisive referendum is further evidence that Labour can’t be trusted to defend the union.”

This comes just weeks after the SNP published a new draft independence bill, where Mr Swinney said no-one will make better decisions about Scotland’s future than the people who live in Scotland.

The bill does not specify a date for such a referendum to be held, saying it will be “decided by the Scottish Parliament”.

Since the 2014 referendum, successive UK governments have opposed moves by the SNP for a second vote. In 2022 the UK Supreme Court also ruled that any further vote would need the agreement of the UK Government, meaning this new bill is unlikely to result in a vote.