Andy Burnham has indicated that a second Scottish independence referendum could be considered if public opinion shifts decisively in favour, appearing to soften the government’s previous position that another vote was “off limits”.
Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Burnham compared the circumstances in Scotland with the provisions of the Good Friday Agreement governing a potential border poll in Northern Ireland.
The issue was raised by Chris Law, SNP MP for Dundee Central, who pointed out that the Northern Ireland Act provides for a referendum on leaving the United Kingdom, while no equivalent statutory provision exists for Scotland.
Mr Law asked: “[The Prime Minister] will know that the Northern Ireland Act contains a provision for a referendum on leaving the United Kingdom, but no equivalent provision exists within the law for Scotland.
“Does the Prime Minister recognise that people of Scotland have the same right, and the equal right to choose their own future?”
The intervention prompted a Commons heckle from the backbenches: “you had a referendum”.
Mr Burnham said he would adhere to the conditions of the Good Friday Agreement “100 per cent” before drawing a direct comparison with Scotland.
“On that question of a border poll, It is to be considered by the Northern Ireland Secretary when there is a clear consensus in the country, when public opinion has changed to the point where where the call has to be has to be considered,” he said.
“I would say exactly the same situation in Scotland. I am not aware that there is a majority of public support for another referendum, and until that changes, there won’t be one.”
SNP MPs reacted angrily to the remarks, prompting Downing Street to clarify that Labour’s formal position had not changed.
Mr Burnham’s press secretary said: “The PM’s been repeatedly clear on this.
“In his call with the Scottish First Minister in his first week, the PM stated upfront that another referendum on independence was off limits and as our election manifesto makes clear, Labour does not support independence or another referendum.”
The comments nevertheless prompted a strong response from John Swinney, Scotland’s first minister, who argued that the prime minister had acknowledged the principle that Scottish voters should determine the issue.
“To go from ‘off limits’ to this is an acceptance of the reality that the people of Scotland will decide their own future, not the UK Government,” he said.
“For the first time since 2014, a British Prime Minister accepts that majority support for a referendum should mean one takes place.”
Scotland rejected independence by 55 per cent to 45 per cent in the 2014 referendum, with Westminster subsequently refusing to authorise another vote.
Northern Ireland is also expected to feature in discussions between Mr Burnham and Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin later this month. Asked whether the Good Friday Agreement would be discussed, Mr Martin said he did not want to “pre-empt” the meeting.
On his personal view of Irish unity, Mr Martin said it “would be the best outcome”, but cautioned against attaching a timetable to a border poll.
“It’s about uniting Protestant, Catholic, the centre, in the concept of Wolfe Tone,” he said.
“Perhaps in the modern area it has broadened out to involve more than than just that. I think we should be careful of not being sucked in by soundbites and by campaigns that seem to me to have short-term objectives to satisfy political bases.”
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