\n The First Minister insisted Scotland is “a nation not a region” as he blasted Burnham’s speech as “rhetoric”.\n<\/p>\n
\n He pushed for more detail on the “substance” of his plans and how they will improve Scots’ lives.\n<\/p>\n
\n He said: \u201cI have heard Andy Burnham’s proposals, but rhetoric alone will not cut it when Scotland so badly needs more job creating powers and the ability to lower energy bills.\n<\/p>\n
\n READ MORE: Scottish Labour to rethink stance on independence and referendum<\/a>\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cI look forward to further detail on the substance of these proposals, and how they will fundamentally improve people\u2019s lives in Scotland and bring down the cost of living. I will engage with the new Prime Minister in good faith, with Scotland’s interests always at the top of my agenda, and look forward to welcoming him here in the coming weeks.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cHowever, Scotland is a nation and not a region, and there has now been a pro-independence majority in Holyrood<\/a> for four elections in a row. This mandate has been ignored by successive Prime Ministers for years.\n<\/p>\n \n “If Andy Burnham genuinely believes people should have more control over their future, he can recognise that by confirming Scotland’s national right to self-determination.”\n<\/p>\n \n It comes after the Makerfield MP made a speech in Manchester on Monday<\/a> where he vowed to bring about the \u201cbiggest rebalancing of power our country has seen\u201d if he becomes prime minister.\n<\/p>\n \n He said he would offer “new opportunities to extend devolution in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by taking power deeper down” adding that “the people of Dundee<\/a> and Bangor feel just as distant from Holyrood<\/a> and the Senedd as they do from Westminster<\/a>“.\n<\/p>\n \n Burnham has been criticised by Dundee politicians<\/a> for suggesting the city “feels distant” from Holyrood.\n<\/p>\n \n He said he will introduce “powers for areas undergoing industrial transition”, referencing Aberdeen<\/a> as one of those areas.\n<\/p>\n \n However, he gave no further details on how he plans to “extend devolution”.\n<\/p>\n \n READ MORE: SNP bonds plan ‘breaching Scottish Parliament’s Israel boycott vote’<\/a>\n<\/p>\n \n The speech largely focused on plans for more regional devolution in England via a so-called “Number 10 North” based in Manchester, which would see “power flow into the Midlands, into the South West, into the East of England” and “into London.”\n<\/p>\n \n Burnham said the job of “Number 10 North” will be to make power flow into different regions across the UK, but he then only appeared to reference English regions.\n<\/p>\n \n Handing more powers to Scottish councils would require the cooperation of Scottish ministers as local government is devolved.\n<\/p>\n \n First Minister of Wales Rhun ap Iorwerth also said a Number 10 of the North would mean “very little” to Wales.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cI have been arguing for many years that the Westminster<\/a> system is a broken system,” he said.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cThat is why this Welsh Government set out our expectations on day one that Wales both needs and deserves a fairer settlement on funding and powers.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cWales already has a new government giving people a new sense of agency, possibility and hope on priorities \u2013 from cutting waiting lists, to rolling out fully funded childcare, to creating good jobs.\n<\/p>\n