Burnham is accused of 'opening the door' to Scottish independence vote after refusing to rule one out

Andy Burnham faced criticism over Scotland's constitutional future after he stopped short of categorically ruling out a second independence referendum under his premiership, telling reporters his view on independence "won't be changing." Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said Burnham had "again opened the door for John Swinney to demand another divisive referendum" during what critics described as a rare and lacklustre trip north of the border. The PM had gone to Motherwell to offer the SNP a deal on "deeper devolution," urging Holyrood to push powers down to Scottish regions and cities. A No 10 insider later insisted Burnham had told Swinney privately that he would block a referendum for the remainder of his time in Downing Street.

SNP Economy Secretary Stephen Flynn called Burnham's failure to rule out a referendum "a very significant moment in Scotland's constitutional journey."

Critics highlighted a stark contradiction: Burnham urging Scots to "move beyond" independence while simultaneously reopening Brexit rows and refusing to rule out a future EU rejoin pledge.

Findlay savaged the visit, saying Burnham should have been "giving the green light to new North Sea drilling" instead of "droning on about abstract political structures."