In Glasgow, a new Prime Minister sat across from the leaders of Scotland and Wales to discuss how work and industry might be steered closer to the places they serve. The two first ministers answered with a quiet but firm reminder that the question of how far power should travel inside their own nations belongs to their own parliaments, not to Westminster. It is an old tension in the British story, the pull between a central capital and the distinct communities that have long insisted on governing themselves, and this meeting showed it in its polite, carefully measured form.
Scotland and Wales Insist Local Devolution Is Theirs to Decide, Not Westminster's
Further devolution within Wales is a matter for the Senedd and only the Senedd
Mark
Why does a meeting described as constructive still make news?
Mimi
Because both first ministers used it to draw a line. Swinney and ap Iorwerth said further devolution inside their nations is for Holyrood and the Senedd, not Westminster.
Mark
Where did the friction come from?
Mimi
Wes Streeting, before the summit. He said the Scottish government often treats devolution as moving power from Westminster to Holyrood, and asked why not further down to local government.
Luke
That's Streeting's characterisation, though. The reporting doesn't show evidence on how much Holyrood has or hasn't devolved locally.
Mark
And the Welsh side?
Mimi
Ap Iorwerth said the budget showed Burnham was not serious about Wales. The Welsh government calls it a real-terms funding cut.
Luke
Worth noting that figure is the Welsh government's own assessment. The piece doesn't give a number or an independent check.
Mark
Lee Waters raised a different point, didn't he?
Mimi
Yes, that English regions and Welsh regions aren't comparable in scale or density, and that the Welsh government already does much of what mayors do.
Luke
Again, that's one former minister's view. And what Burnham will actually do next is still unknown; he reportedly assured Swinney he won't bypass the Scottish parliament, but that's Swinney's account.
O Pulso
- Two first ministers turned away a Westminster offer of more devolution, insisting the decision belongs only to Holyrood and the Senedd.
- Burnham's push to extend English-style mayoral powers across all four nations meets resistance rooted in old grievances over funding.
- Wales calls the new budget a real-terms cut, and Plaid Cymru has formally demanded powers equal to Scotland's.
- Northern Ireland's First Minister stayed away amid a Sinn Féin and DUP row, leaving the summit visibly incomplete.
- Downing Street calls the talks constructive, but the lasting question is whether Burnham will extend mayoral powers or let Wales and Scotland set their own pace.
In Glasgow, a new Prime Minister sat across from the leaders of Scotland and Wales to discuss how work and industry might be steered closer to the places they serve. The two first ministers answered with a quiet but firm reminder that the question of how far power should travel inside their own nations belongs to their own parliaments, not to Westminster. It is an old tension in the British story, the pull between a central capital and the distinct communities that have long insisted on governing themselves, and this meeting showed it in its polite, carefully measured form.
In Glasgow, Prime Minister Andy Burnham met John Swinney and Rhun ap Iorwerth to talk about giving localities more say over jobs and reindustrialisation. Both first ministers left with one message made clear: how far power moves down inside Scotland and Wales is for their own parliaments to decide. Downing Street called the talks constructive, and Burnham said he wanted all four nations moving together, adding that he did not want Scotland left behind.
The warmth on the surface hid real friction. Wales's government says the new budget cuts its funding in real terms, and the first minister said the prime minister was not serious about Wales. Plaid Cymru has formally asked for Wales to receive the same devolved powers as Scotland. Former Welsh Labour minister Lee Waters argued that English-style mayors do not fit Wales, since its regions are less densely populated and its government already performs much of the same role.
Northern Ireland was absent too, as First Minister Michelle O'Neill stayed away after a row between Sinn Féin and the DUP, a absence Burnham called disappointing. The coming weeks will show whether Burnham extends mayoral powers across the UK and how he answers Wales's demand.
In Glasgow, Prime Minister Andy Burnham sat down with the first ministers of Scotland and Wales to talk about localised employment powers and reindustrialisation. John Swinney and Rhun ap Iorwerth left with a message they wanted on the record: whether power is pushed down further inside their nations is for their own parliaments to decide, not for Westminster. Downing Street described the talks as constructive.
Burnham is pressing for English-style regional devolution to be extended across the UK. He pointed to measures in Wednesday's budget that give mayors in England more powers over tax revenues. He said he wants all four nations moving at the same pace. "I don't want to see Scotland left behind," he said, adding that the same went for Wales and, crucially, for Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland was not fully represented. First Minister Michelle O'Neill had been due to attend but stayed away after a political row between Sinn Féin and the DUP. Burnham called her absence "disappointing."
The run-up to the summit was not smooth. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting told BBC Scotland that one Labour critique of the Scottish government is that it treats devolution as a transfer of power, responsibility and resources from Westminster to Holyrood. The challenge Burnham is setting out, he said, is what about devolving more from Holyrood to local government across Scotland. One Scottish official described this kind of comment as "lecturing us on devolution," and the SNP-led government is frequently irritated by it.
After the talks, the tone was measured. Ap Iorwerth said he had pressed Burnham on his wish for more powers for the Welsh government, and had also reiterated that further devolution within Wales is a matter for the Senedd and only the Senedd. Swinney said he would work constructively and collaboratively on bringing more powers to his government. He added that Burnham had assured him he would not bypass the Scottish parliament in this endeavour.
The courtesy sits atop real friction. Shortly before the summit, ap Iorwerth said Burnham's first budget showed the prime minister was "not serious about Wales." The Welsh government says the budget amounts to a real-terms funding cut for the country. Plaid Cymru, which won May's Senedd elections and put nationalists in office in all three of the UK's Celtic nations for the first time, has already formally asked Burnham to give Wales the same devolved powers as Scotland.
A separate critique came from Lee Waters, a former Welsh Labour minister who sat in the Senedd until the May elections. He told the Guardian that Burnham, formerly Greater Manchester mayor, should not try to impose an English-style mayoral model on Wales, because "we are not comparing like with like." In England, he said, a region typically covers 1.5 to 3 million people, while Welsh regions cover much less dense areas. Wales may be similar in population to Burnham's old patch, but that is where the parallel ends, he said. He argued that the role Burnham champions for metro mayors is in many respects already performed by the Welsh government.
What to watch next is whether Burnham extends English-style regional mayoral powers across the UK, and how he handles Plaid Cymru's request for Wales to receive powers equal to Scotland's.
Citações Notáveis
Burnham had assured him that he will not bypass the Scottish parliament in this endeavour.— John Swinney, Scotland's first minister
We are not comparing like with like.— Lee Waters, former Welsh Labour minister
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Politics & Governance