Burnham: Scots have the right to self-determination, but not a new referendum
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham acknowledged Scots' right to vote on independence but ruled out a second referendum. The remarks came after Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish nationalist leaders signed a joint declaration demanding constitutional change from London.
RastinewsUK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has ruled out a new referendum on Scottish independence, saying the 2014 vote settled the question definitively.
Speaking to Scottish broadcaster STV, Burnham said: "Now is not the time to reopen that debate. The cost of living is the issue affecting most Scots."
"They have that right, but"
Asked whether Scots had the right to vote again, Burnham replied: "They have that right. But it was settled for a generation to come."
Burnham said there was no clear consensus among the Scottish public for a new referendum. Shifting the agenda away from the cost of living, he said, would be divisive.
"I support the union," Burnham said. In separate interviews with the BBC and ITV, he also dismissed claims of an early general election, saying the vote would be held in 2029.
Opposition accuses him of a "U-turn"
Scottish Conservative deputy leader Rachael Hamilton accused Burnham of "scrambling into reverse" after previously leaving the door open to a new referendum.
Burnham's comments came in an interview with STV political editor Colin Mackay.
Joint declaration in Cardiff
Scottish National Party (SNP) leader and Scotland's First Minister John Swinney, Plaid Cymru leader and Wales' First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth, and Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O'Neill signed a memorandum of understanding in Cardiff on September 14. The leaders called on the government in London to prepare for and facilitate constitutional change.
The declaration stated that every nation has the right to determine its own future through democratic means.
In Scotland's independence referendum on September 18, 2014, 55 percent of voters chose "no."