Badenoch urges Swinney and Burnham to drop referendum calls
Kemi Badenoch has urged Scottish First Minister John Swinney and Labour mayor Andy Burnham to stop advocating further independence or Brexit referendums, calling them a distraction from economic growth. She criticised Swinney’s renewed independence campaign and Burnham’s comments about reopening the Brexit question.
Badenoch said the Conservatives were considering a review of devolution, including how Holyrood’s powers are used when they affect reserved policies such as energy. She accused the SNP of lacking answers on health, education and drug deaths, and argued that devolution should be improved if it is not working. The SNP is due to launch a new independence campaign at its conference in Aberdeen.
- Badenoch says further independence and Brexit referendums are a distraction.
- She criticised Swinney’s renewed independence campaign.
- Conservatives are considering a review of Holyrood’s powers.
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The UK is made up of nations with devolved governments, including Scotland, whose parliament in Holyrood has powers over areas such as health and education. The UK government retains responsibility for other matters, including energy policy, and the two levels of government can disagree over how their powers affect one another.
The Scottish National Party supports Scottish independence, while the Conservatives support the UK remaining united. Brexit took the UK out of the European Union in 2020, and debate continues over its effects and whether the relationship should change. Kemi Badenoch leads the Conservatives; John Swinney is Scotland’s first minister and leads the SNP, while Andy Burnham is the Labour mayor of Greater Manchester.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Badenoch’s case is that repeatedly reopening constitutional questions can consume political attention and investment certainty that could be directed towards economic growth and public services. If devolved powers are affecting reserved areas such as energy, reviewing how responsibilities are divided could also make government more accountable and effective.
The case against
Swinney and Burnham can argue that questions of independence and the consequences of Brexit remain important democratic choices, and that elected leaders should be free to make the case for revisiting them. A referendum campaign need not prevent governments from addressing health, education or growth; declining to discuss constitutional change could itself leave unresolved questions about how decisions are made and whose interests they serve.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Kemi Badenoch hits out at both Andy Burnham and John Swinney as she demands end to ‘endless’ referendums”.