SNP's latest bid to break up Britain is derailed by new Prime Minister

By MICHAEL BLACKLEY, SCOTTISH DAILY MAIL POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 20:12, 21 July 2026 | Updated: 20:12, 21 July 2026 Andy Burnham shot down John Swinney’s demands for an independence referendum during their first talks since he became Prime Minister. In a telephone conversation, the new Labour leader rejected the First Minister’s call for talks on holding another vote on Scotland’s place in the UK, saying that he wanted to focus on ‘practical measures, not constitutional changes like further referendums’. Downing Street sources said that when the issue of another referendum was raised by Mr Swinney, the Prime Minister firmly told him ‘they would have to agree to disagree’ on the issue. The First Minister pressed for another independence vote despite falling short of his target of an SNP majority in May’s Holyrood elections, which he had said would be a mandate for a rerun of the 2014 vote. He also failed to make the case for more North Sea drilling despite concerns about the impact on Scotland’s economy of around 1,000 job losses a month. Tuesday’s talks happened within the first 24 hours of Mr Burnham formally succeeding Sir Keir Starmer in Number 10. He also held a call with Welsh First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth and another with Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly. Following the talks, a Downing Street spokesman said: ‘The Prime Minister said he was serious about creating a new politics - rooted in finding common ground based on collaborative, practical and pragmatic relations with the heads of the devolved governments. ‘Working in partnership, the Prime Minister said together they could drive deeper devolution to all parts of the United Kingdom to get growth going. New Prime Minister Andy Burnham (right) shot down John Swinney's calls for a new independence referendum  ‘The Prime Minister added he was focused on practical measures, not constitutional changes like further referendums, to give families more breathing room by helping them with the cost of living, which he had done today by helping millions of households with their energy bills. ‘The Prime Minister said he looked forward to meeting with the heads of the devolved governments soon and visiting Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland shortly.’ During the talks, Mr Swinney highlighted that a majority of MSPs support another independence referendum, and said he looked forward to a ‘constructive dialogue’ on the issue. But a UK Government source said: ‘When the question of independence was raised, the Prime Minister was quite firm they would have to agree to disagree. ‘It’s not something he’s focused on and it’s not a conversation that he’s interested in taking forward.’ There was some discussion about the issue of oil and gas but neither the Scottish or UK governments mentioned this in their formal readouts of the key points of the meeting. When asked if Mr Swinney had pushed for new drilling licences or the approval of the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields in the North Sea, a Scottish Government spokesman highlighted an interview on Monday where the First Minister said he would have to see the climate compatibility assessments carried out by the UK Government before making a judgement on whether to support the projects. Tory MP Andrew Bowie said Burnham and Swinney need to ditch the ban on North Sea drilling Tory MP Andrew Bowie, the Shadow Scottish Secretary, said: ‘Voters in Aberdeen South made it clear in the recent by-election that Swinney and Burnham need to ditch their reckless ban on drilling in the North Sea and back jobs in the North East and safeguard our energy security. ‘Instead, both of them astonishingly seem to have failed to have had any substantive discussion about one of our most crucial industries, where 1,000 workers each month are losing their jobs. ‘This sums up how out-of-touch both of Scotland’s governments are with the anger among the public about SNP and Labour overseeing the destruction of Scotland’s oil and gas sector.’ Mr Burnham’s first visit to Scotland as Prime Minister could come as early as Thursday for the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, although Downing Street said all travel will be set out in the usual way and nothing is confirmed yet. His Government is due to make a decision in the coming weeks on whether to allow the previously consented Jackdaw and Rosebank drilling projects in the North Sea to proceed, but is not expected to reverse the ban on new oil and gas licences. Following Tuesday’s talks, a Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘In a telephone call this morning, the First Minister congratulated the new Prime Minister on his appointment. He set out his commitment to both governments working constructively together to address the cost-of-living crisis and to lower energy bills. ‘The First Minister set out the majority within the Scottish Parliament for the future of Scotland to be decided by the people of Scotland and looked forward to a constructive dialogue on this issue. ‘The First Minister also extended an invitation to host the Prime Minister at Bute House at the earliest opportunity.’