Burnham Pledges Youth Employment Support and Pragmatic North Sea Approach in Scotland Speech

Prime Minister Andy Burnham is preparing to deliver a speech in Scotland that will focus on assisting young people facing unemployment and signal a more pragmatic stance on North Sea drilling.

Burnham plans to collaborate with the Scottish government on initiatives aimed at improving employment opportunities for young individuals. He also indicated a willingness to work with the Scottish government on addressing rising crime and antisocial behavior in Glasgow. The Prime Minister is expected to announce an imminent decision regarding the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields.

This announcement follows mounting pressure to approve new drilling operations. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has urged Burnham to "stop faffing about" and grant consent for both sites. Research suggests that refusing these projects could have significant economic consequences for the UK, potentially costing £10.8 billion and resulting in an annual loss of approximately 3,300 jobs.

During a recent Prime Minister's Questions session, Burnham stated his intention to discuss these issues in Scotland, emphasizing how to better support young people and aid the Scottish government in its efforts to increase youth employment. He also highlighted the UK Government's 'Your First Home' scheme, designed to help first-time buyers, and reiterated the need for broader support to help young people establish themselves across the entire UK, including Scotland.

Glasgow North East MP Maureen Burke had previously called for a coordinated UK government response to enhance safety in Glasgow, citing concerns about crime, violence, antisocial behavior, and drug use. Burnham acknowledged that while policing is a devolved matter, he is open to working with the Scottish government, Police Scotland, and Glasgow City Council. He drew a parallel to his successful 'Operation Vulcan' in Greater Manchester, a multi-agency initiative that tackled entrenched criminality, and offered to explore similar approaches for Glasgow.

Burnham's upcoming speech is anticipated to elaborate on his agenda for 'deeper devolution' across the UK, which includes empowering local councils. The speech will also commit to UK government action in Scotland aimed at reducing the number of young people not in education, employment, or training (NEETs), acknowledging that approaches may need to differ from those implemented in English regions.

Currently, Scotland's economic inactivity rate for individuals aged 16-64 stands at 22.2 percent, compared to the UK average of 20.9 percent. Meanwhile, at Prime Minister's Questions, Kemi Badenoch reiterated her call for the UK government to support the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields, questioning the delay in approval and stating that "If he'd approved them back then, we would have British gas warming British homes this winter."

Burnham responded that he would adopt a "pragmatic approach on oil and gas" and that decisions would be announced shortly. Lord Anas Sarwar, the UK's trade minister and former Scottish Labour leader, expressed anticipation for this "more pragmatic approach."

Separately, Transport Secretary Stephen Flynn is expected to claim at the SNP's conference in Aberdeen that Burnham is "obsessed" with First Minister John Swinney. Flynn's remarks will likely reference Burnham's determination to counter Swinney's assertion that he would be the last Prime Minister of the UK, and point to electoral successes of parties in Wales and Scotland as evidence of declining Westminster influence.