Prime minister to visit Scotland during SNP conference

Andy Burnham is expected to visit Scotland during the SNP’s annual conference.  

As party members gather in Aberdeen for the Autumn conference this week, the prime minister will be north of the border to discuss his plans to devolve more powers to local authorities.

Burnham is expected to visit areas in the central belt, and the visit follows his UK Labour conference claim that he would prove John Swinney’s prediction wrong that he would be the UK’s last prime minister.  

The SNP has invited the PM to its conference, which runs from 15 October to 17 October.  

Deputy leader of the SNP, Keith Brown, said: “The SNP would like to invite Andy Burnham to the SNP conference as part of his visit to Scotland.

“The British prime minister has agreed it is for the people of Scotland to decide our own future and there is no better time for the leader of unionism and the leader of Scottish independence to further that basic democratic principle.

“Andy Burnham made Scottish independence the focus of his conference speech, with his time in Downing Street fast becoming defined by the UK’s constitutional future – it is the central question on these islands.

“SNP conference is the perfect and natural place for Andy Burnham to set out the logical extension of his words – an agreed legal process.”

The first minister is expected to use his speech to continue his party’s push for a second independence referendum.  

Swinney has said he wants to hold a referendum in this current parliamentary session. However, Burnham has already said this is “off limits” during a meeting with Swinney over the summer.