Prime Minister Andy Burnham has told Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney that a second independence referendum remains “off limits”, insisting Labour’s priority is growing the economy, tackling the cost of living and delivering prosperity across the United Kingdom.
In a letter sent to Swinney, Burnham sought to clarify comments made at Prime Minister’s Questions after SNP MP Chris Law pressed him on whether Scotland should have a legal route to another independence vote, as reported at the time.
Burnham said Scotland and Northern Ireland had “different historical experiences and therefore distinct constitutional arrangements”, rejecting suggestions that the legal provisions for a border poll in Northern Ireland should automatically apply to Scotland.
He wrote:
“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.”
The intervention follows Swinney’s request for talks on establishing an “agreed legal mechanism” for a future Scottish independence referendum after Burnham’s Commons remarks, as the First Minister set out.
Burnham: independence is ‘off limits’
Burnham pointed to the circumstances surrounding the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, arguing that there had then been broad agreement across both parliaments, political parties and civic society that a referendum should take place.
He contrasted that position with the present day.
The Prime Minister wrote:
“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.”
He added that the 2014 result had demonstrated Scotland’s decision to remain within the United Kingdom.
Burnham also invoked Labour’s 2024 manifesto, which stated that the party did not support Scottish 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,” he wrote.
The letter represents a firm restatement of Labour’s position following speculation that Burnham’s earlier Commons comments had opened the door to another vote.
Swinney had sought talks
Swinney wrote to Burnham after the Prime Minister suggested during PMQs that, as with Northern Ireland, constitutional questions ultimately depended on the existence of sufficiently clear public support.
The First Minister seized on those comments and called for discussions on turning that principle into a formal legal mechanism for Scotland.
Downing Street subsequently clarified that Burnham’s longstanding opposition to another Scottish referendum had not changed.
His letter now puts that position formally on the record.
Labour wants focus on economy
Burnham ended the letter on a more collaborative note, saying his Government wanted to work with Swinney and the Scottish Government on areas where both administrations could improve living standards.
He wrote that he wanted Scotland, “as part of the UK”, to work for people and said he looked forward to progressing shared priorities through the National Economic Council.
The Prime Minister said the focus should be:
“driving growth, opportunity and prosperity in every part of the UK.”
That message reflects Burnham’s wider political strategy of arguing that constitutional disputes should not distract governments from household finances, jobs, investment and public services.
Firm Union position alongside devolution
The exchange also highlights the distinction Labour is drawing between supporting extensive devolution and supporting constitutional separation.
Burnham has made transferring greater economic and political power away from Westminster one of the defining themes of his premiership, but his letter makes clear that he does not see deeper devolution as a route towards another Scottish independence referendum. That distinction has also been visible in other recent Labour interventions on where power should sit.
For Labour, that allows the Government to argue simultaneously for stronger decision-making in Scotland and other parts of Britain while maintaining a firm commitment to the Union.
Burnham’s message to Swinney is therefore unambiguous: Labour is willing to work closely with the Scottish Government and devolve greater power, but another independence referendum is not on the Government’s agenda — with the Prime Minister insisting the immediate priority must be growth, opportunity and easing the pressure on families.
