Badenoch tells Burnham to rule out Brexit re-run vote and challenges SNP to DROP 'endless' referendums

Kemi Badenoch confronted both Andy Burnham and John Swinney on Thursday, demanding they abandon what she called an obsession with "endless" referendums — on Scottish independence and EU membership alike. Burnham's suggestion that a future Labour manifesto could promise a fresh Brexit vote drew her sharpest fire, with Badenoch calling the move a reckless reopening of "an extremely divisive" chapter. She also refused to rule out reforming the Scotland Act to stop Holyrood blocking reserved priorities such as new nuclear power stations. The visit to Edinburgh was overshadowed after her party barred The National newspaper from her press event — days after she condemned Reform for doing the same.

Badenoch called Swinney a "broken record" on independence, saying he "has run out of ideas" as a new SNP campaign launches at this weekend's Aberdeen conference.

She declined to say whether she would strip Holyrood of powers, insisting devolution "is a process and not a religion" and that a formal review was not yet party policy.

The National's editor called Badenoch "incredibly hypocritical" after the Tories barred the paper having previously slammed Farage as "authoritarian" for doing the same.