New UK PM Burnham Tells Scotland's Swinney: Independence Referendum Is "Off Limits"

Three days after becoming prime minister on July 20, 2026, Andy Burnham met Scotland's First Minister John Swinney in Glasgow and ruled out a second independence referendum, calling it "off limits." Burnham argued another vote would detract from growing the economy and lowering living costs. Swinney's SNP continues to treat a referendum as a live demand.