In Glasgow, a new British prime minister sat with the leaders of Scotland and Wales and asked the four nations to walk the road of devolution together, so that no part of the country is left behind. The meeting was practical in its ambitions, reaching toward youth employment and industrial renewal, yet it carried the older question that has always shadowed the union: how power is shared, and whether those who feel far from Westminster will accept the shape of the future being drawn for them. Northern Ireland was present only through its officials, a quiet reminder that the union's conversation
Burnham Pledges 'No Nation Left Behind' as UK Leaders Meet in Glasgow on Devolution
"Growth can't wait," the prime minister said in Glasgow.
Mark
Why does a meeting like this matter when nothing was actually decided?
Mimi
Because it's the first National Economic Council for the nations. It sets a format, and the leaders agreed on a shared problem: too many young people out of work in both Scotland and Wales.
Luke
Agreed on the problem, yes. But the only concrete commitment is that the UK government will look at arrangements for devolving youth employment support. That's a review, not a transfer of power.
Mark
Swinney sounded welcoming, though.
Mimi
He did, and he called it a welcome start. But he tied more powers to growth that people feel in wages, jobs and the cost of living.
Luke
That's a condition, and worth noticing. He's saying yes if it delivers, not yes outright.
Mark
And independence sits underneath all of it?
Mimi
Both first ministers want a wider conversation. Burnham has ruled out referendums, and Downing Street said Swinney's issues would be reviewed without including a second Scottish referendum.
Luke
Also, Northern Ireland sent officials only. The source links that to the Drumcree dispute fallout, but doesn't say more about why, so I'd not read too much into it.
Mark
What about Wales?
Mimi
Ap Iorwerth welcomed a step forward on fiscal and borrowing powers, but insisted that devolution within Wales is for the Senedd alone.
Luke
Which sits a little awkwardly with Burnham's push for regional structures. He says it's for Wales and Scotland to decide, so the tension may be small, but it's unresolved.
El Pulso
- The prime minister insists the four nations must move at the same pace, and he will not let anything delay that momentum.
- Northern Ireland sent only officials to the table, a gap that exposes the political strain left by the Drumcree dispute.
- Scotland's John Swinney calls the talks a welcome start but makes further powers conditional on real economic growth in wages and jobs.
- Independence remains the fault line: Downing Street has ruled out a second Scottish referendum even as both first ministers ask for a wider debate.
- Wales welcomes a step forward on fiscal and borrowing powers, and a process is being set up to test how each government can drive regional growth.
- The next test is whether a deeper devolution model, covering youth employment and innovation funding, can be shaped jointly before the independence question derails it.
In Glasgow, a new British prime minister sat with the leaders of Scotland and Wales and asked the four nations to walk the road of devolution together, so that no part of the country is left behind. The meeting was practical in its ambitions, reaching toward youth employment and industrial renewal, yet it carried the older question that has always shadowed the union: how power is shared, and whether those who feel far from Westminster will accept the shape of the future being drawn for them. Northern Ireland was present only through its officials, a quiet reminder that the union's conversations are never equally held, and the hope of one shared pace now rests on whether growth can answer the doubts that independence has never fully left behind.
In Glasgow, Prime Minister Andy Burnham met the first ministers of Scotland and Wales for the first National Economic Council of the UK's nations. He came away saying the four nations must "move together" on handing more power to regions and cities, and that no nation should be left behind.
Northern Ireland took part only through officials, not its political leaders, a gap the source links to the fallout from the Drumcree parade dispute. Scotland was represented by SNP leader John Swinney and Wales by Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth.
The agenda was practical. Leaders discussed giving regions more control over employment support and reindustrialisation funding, and all agreed that too many young people are out of work. Burnham said the government would look at further devolving youth employment support in Scotland and Wales, and urged the two governments to work with Westminster on a model of deeper devolution. He insisted the shape of regional structures was for Scotland and Wales to decide.
Swinney called the meeting a welcome start and praised recognition that Westminster is not working for Scotland, but he set a condition: any new powers must produce higher wages, better jobs and a lower cost of living. Ap Iorwerth described the talks as positive, stressed that devolution within Wales belongs to the Senedd alone, and welcomed the prime minister's step forward on fiscal and borrowing powers.
Independence remains the fault line. Both first ministers want a wider conversation about it, but Burnham has ruled out referendums, and Downing Street said the issues Swinney raised would be reviewed without a second Scottish referendum. Still, both sides agreed to explore how each government could contribute to regional empowerment and growth.
What comes next is whether a deeper devolution model takes shape, especially on youth employment and innovation funding, and whether Scotland and Wales can help shape it without the independence debate pulling it apart.
In Glasgow, the prime minister sat down with the first ministers of Scotland and Wales for the first National Economic Council of the UK's nations, and came out saying the four nations must "move together" on handing more power to regions and cities. Andy Burnham said he wanted to be sure no nation was "left behind."
Northern Ireland was part of the meeting, but only through officials rather than its political leaders. The source ties that to the political fallout from the Drumcree parade dispute. The other two nations were represented at the top: SNP leader John Swinney for Scotland and Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth for Wales.
The agenda was practical. Ministers and representatives discussed giving regions more control over employment support and over funding for reindustrialisation. Burnham said that in the reindustrialisation context, this could mean more devolution of innovation funding. All three leaders agreed that too many young people in the nations are out of work, and the prime minister said the UK government would look at arrangements for further devolution of employment support for young people in both Scotland and Wales.
Burnham pressed the point about pace. "It's really important we all move at the same pace together, and I won't allow anything to delay that," he said, adding that growth can't wait and that people need to see better employment and living standards in every part of the UK. He urged the Scottish and Welsh governments to work jointly with Westminster on what he called a model of deeper devolution, and said what regional structures look like in Scotland and Wales is a matter for those two countries to decide.
Devolution has been central to Burnham's agenda since he entered Downing Street this summer. His argument is that rewiring the state, and giving more control to regional mayors and authorities across England, will lift economic growth. What it means at national level has so far been less clear. Burnham says he will listen to the administrations' calls for further powers, while urging them to share more responsibility with local authorities.
Swinney called the meeting "a welcome start," while noting that he and Burnham disagree on independence. He welcomed recognition that "Westminster is not working for Scotland" and said he would work constructively and collaboratively to bring more powers north, but on a condition: the proposals must drive economic growth that shows up in higher wages, better jobs, more opportunities for businesses to start and expand, and help with the cost of living.
Independence remains the fault line. Both first ministers have called for a wider conversation about it, but Burnham has ruled out referendums. A Downing Street spokesperson said the UK government would review the issues Swinney raised, though that would not include a second Scottish independence referendum.
Ap Iorwerth described the meeting as positive. He said he again pressed for Wales and its government to have the tools to serve communities better, and stressed that further devolution within Wales is a matter for the Senedd and only the Senedd. He welcomed the prime minister's "step forward" on the Welsh government's fiscal and borrowing powers, and gave his full support to pushing for a stronger relationship with the EU. Downing Street said the two had positive discussions and that the Welsh leader agreed to start a process exploring how each government could contribute to regional empowerment, reindustrialisation and good growth in every postcode.
What to watch now is whether the proposed model of deeper devolution takes shape, particularly on youth employment support and innovation funding, and whether Scotland and Wales can shape it jointly with Westminster without the independence question derailing it.
Citas Notables
It's really important we all move at the same pace together, and I won't allow anything to delay that.— Prime Minister Andy Burnham
The meeting was a welcome start on further devolution, though he and Burnham disagree on independence.— Scotland's First Minister John Swinney (paraphrased)
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