Burnham agrees joint devolution work with Scottish and Welsh first ministers
Andy Burnham met the Scottish and Welsh first ministers in Glasgow and agreed joint work on deeper regional devolution, while ruling out a second Scottish independence referendum.
How it was covered
- BBC News carried 30% of the airtime and concentrated on limited devolution powers and SNP pressure for a referendum.
- Sky News concentrated on the Glasgow meeting, Welsh demands and no second referendum.
- ITV concentrated on council-level devolution, SNP conference and Badenoch's fuel tax attack.
- GB News and BBC Two: not found in tracked broadcasts.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
Andy Burnham met the Scottish First Minister, John Swinney, and the Welsh First Minister, Rhun ap Iorwerth, in Glasgow on 30 October and said they had agreed to work jointly on deeper regional devolution. Sky News reported that he described the National Economic Council meeting as positive and said officials from both sides would work on arrangements for Scotland and Wales. He repeated that a second Scottish independence referendum is off the table. BBC News reported that he said the four nations of the UK must move together to devolve more power to regions and cities.
The meeting followed Burnham's first major visit to Scotland as Prime Minister on 16 October, when he spoke at a college in Motherwell, Lanarkshire, during the SNP conference in Aberdeen. He offered more employment support powers, which Sky News described as an offer of DWP devolution: a model of localised employment support shaped by Holyrood and tailored to Scotland. BBC One reported that he argued Scotland, although the most devolved nation in the UK, was one of the most centralised in Europe.
The SNP gave the speech a mixed welcome. John Swinney said he would work constructively with Burnham if it meant more powers, and SNP figures welcomed the employment support offer. But the party said independence remained its priority. Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, was also in Scotland and dismissed the devolution debate as a waste of time, saying councils already had the powers they needed.
At the Glasgow meeting, Sky News reported that Rhun ap Iorwerth accepted Burnham's offer to work jointly on regional empowerment in Scotland and Wales. The Welsh First Minister also pressed for revised fiscal and borrowing powers, a £14 billion rail funding pledge, weekly child payments and a closer relationship with the EU, including rejoining the single market and customs union. Jon Craig, Sky News chief political correspondent, said the meeting amounted to a devolution summit and that a policy sprint led by Number 10 North would take the agenda forward.
BBC News reported that the practical Scottish offer was limited, covering innovation funding and employment support spending. Its political correspondent, Damian Grammaticas, said John Swinney would take what was offered while still seeking a referendum, which Burnham has ruled out. Swinney welcomed the recognition that Westminster was not working for Scotland, according to BBC News.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Widely reported · 5 or more of 6 channels | ||||||
| Andy Burnham is making his first visit to Scotland as Prime Minister, coinciding with the SNP conference, and is expected to discuss devolution and local government reform while calling for Scottish councils to receive more powers. | Reported by BBC News | Reported by Channel 4 | ||||
| Burnham said he wanted to move power from Downing Street to local people. | Reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC One | Reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News | ||
| Andy Burnham offered to deepen Scottish devolution, including through localised employment support and powers for councils and regions. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC One | Reported by Channel 4 | Reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News | |
| Andy Burnham spoke to college students in Motherwell about more devolved powers. | Reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Reported by Channel 4 | Reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Downing Street said Burnham ruled out a Scottish referendum during the rest of his premiership. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC One | Reported by ITV | |||
| Reported by a few · 2–4 channels | ||||||
| Andy Burnham and Kemi Badenoch were both in Scotland for visits. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Burnham said he came to Scotland with a major offer and to seek common ground. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC One | Reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News | |
| Burnham said his aim of good growth in every postcode included every postcode in Scotland. | Reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Independence remained a central theme at the SNP conference, where SNP figures continued to press for it, and the SNP and Scottish government were reported to be pleased that Andy Burnham did not announce a second independence referendum. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by Channel 4 | Reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News | |
| Kemi Badenoch was also in Scotland and argued that further devolution or constitutional change was not necessary because existing powers were sufficient. | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by Sky News | ||
| Burnham described his 30 October meeting with the Scottish and Welsh First Ministers as positive and said it would lead to detailed official work. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News | |
| Burnham did not categorically rule out another independence referendum when asked, and Stephen Flynn claimed he had not directly ruled one out during his premiership. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | |
| John Swinney pledged to work with the Prime Minister if it meant more powers for Scotland. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by Sky News | ||
| Kemi Badenoch called on Labour to axe fuel tax rises. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by Sky News | |
| SNP politicians welcomed the employment support powers but did not abandon their independence campaign. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| The Scottish government welcomed the devolution of employment support powers and said it had submitted a list of powers to Number 10, with employment support powers at number seven. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News | |
| Only on one channel | ||||||
| Andy Burnham said the Welsh First Minister accepted an offer made in Motherwell to work jointly on regional empowerment in Scotland and Wales. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | |
| Burnham said a visit to Easterhouse shaped the live well model he later used in Greater Manchester. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Burnham said he left Westminster in 2017 to become Mayor of Greater Manchester and drew on that experience. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Kemi Badenoch called for new licensing of North Sea oil and gas. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| The devolution offered or discussed for Scotland was limited to areas such as innovation funding and employment support spending. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Sky News first framed the story around Burnham's visit during the SNP conference and later led on the Glasgow meeting's positive readout. Its chief political correspondent, Jon Craig, stressed agreement on joint regional empowerment and detailed Welsh demands on fiscal powers, rail funding, child payments and the EU. It also clearly stated that a second independence referendum remains off the table.
- “We had a really positive meeting of the National Economic Council today”
- “This would not include a second independence referendum in Scotland which the Prime Minister has repeatedly made clear is off the table.”
- “An offer of DWP devolution. I want to offer Scotland a model of localised employment support.”
BBC News treated the story as a devolution settlement and economic growth pitch, mixing clips of the Motherwell speech with a Glasgow meeting readout. Its political correspondent Damian Grammaticas stressed the limited scope in practice: innovation funding and employment support. It also noted Swinney's welcome but continued SNP pressure for an independence referendum.
- “The Prime Minister has said the four nations of the UK must move together to devolve more power to regions and cities following a meeting today with the Scottish and Welsh first ministers in Glasgow.”
- “devolving some powers over innovation, funding for innovation investment to try to drive some growth, and then over also some employment support measures and spending.”
- “John Swinney said he welcomed recognition that Westminster is not working for Scotland and has pledged to work constructively with Andy Burnham.”
BBC One West focused on the domestic Scottish angle of Burnham's Motherwell speech, using Glenn Campbell to explain the centralisation argument and the SNP's conference response. It gave space to Kemi Badenoch's criticism and to SNP claims that employment support powers were welcome but independence remained the goal.
- “We've ended up with a situation where Scotland, the most devolved nation in the UK, is itself one of the most centralised nations in Europe.”
- “I am coming today with a big offer.”
- “They all have the powers that they need. What are they doing with them?”
ITV1 framed the day around a political visit by Burnham and Kemi Badenoch to Scotland, with Louise Scott stressing that Burnham's devolution offer was aimed at councils rather than Holyrood and fell short of an independence referendum. It also gave prominence to the SNP conference and to Badenoch's fuel tax attack.
- “The prime minister has given his first speech in Scotland and offered the ruling SNP more devolved power.”
- “But his offer was aimed at Scottish councils rather than Holyrood, and of course it stops well short of another independence referendum”
- “she believes it's too much talk and not enough action.”
Channel 4 gave the fullest account of the constitutional spin around the visit, including Stephen Flynn's claim that Burnham had not directly ruled out a referendum and Downing Street's later clarification. It also used voter voices in Motherwell and raised energy licensing as the next test.
- “Andy Burnham has offered to work with the Scottish National Party to deepen devolution in Scotland.”
- “He's accepted the premise of the fact that the Scottish people should be able to determine their own future.”
- “A Downing Street source later said Mr Burnham had ruled out a Scottish referendum for the remainder of his time as prime minister.”
Channel 5 gave the story a short roundup, placing Burnham's Motherwell visit alongside Kemi Badenoch's fuel tax trip and the earlier images of the UK's devolved leaders. Its framing emphasised the political timing and Tory criticism rather than the mechanics of devolution.
- “This was Andy Burnham's first major visit to Scotland since becoming PM”
- “I think that this is, yet again, a waste of time discussion.”
- “When I say I want good growth in every postcode, that means every single postcode in Scotland as well.”
Who was on air
People and organisations each channel put on air while covering this story. Channels' own presenters and reporters are not listed. Names as transcribed, and the list can miss people.
- 15:20 GMT
Rhun ap Iorwerth, First Minister of Wales
Sky News Today · Fri 30 Oct
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.