Burnham invites Swinney to work together on 'deeper Scottish devolution'
ByGlenn CampbellScotland political editor and James DelaneyBBC Scotland
Andy Burnham will invite John Swinney to work with him on devolution and unlock jobs and opportunities for every area of the country during a visit to Scotland later.
The prime minister will say "there is no limit to what we can achieve for the people of Scotland" at an event in North Lanarkshire.
Burnham, the former Mayor of Manchester, has said he wants to devolve more power to local areas around the UK, while the first minister has called for a second Scottish independence referendum by 2031.
The PM's visit coincides with the SNP's annual party conference in Aberdeen and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch's latest visit for an engagement in Glasgow.
Burnham is expected to say: "During my first week in office, I told the first minister that I wanted to work with him to spread opportunities to communities across Scotland's regions and cities.
"Through No10 North, we are rewiring the state and I want to make sure regions in Scotland are fully part of this.
"This is me making an offer to the Scottish government. With us working together, there is no limit to what we can achieve for the Scottish people."
The prime minister will use his speech to claim the Scottish government is one of the most centralised devolved administrations in Europe.
He is expected to say Holyrood does not give enough of a say to people who know their areas best, despite significant devolution from Westminster over the last 27 years.
The PM will call on the Scottish government to work with No10 North and the Scotland Office to develop "a new model of regional empowerment for Scotland, ensuring communities with their own strengths, identity and ambitions can seize new economic opportunities and unlock their potential".
How could Holyrood and Westminster work together?
Without knowing the details of Burnham's proposals for regional devolution in Scotland, there should be scope for him to co-operate with Swinney.
The first minister is already considering a major overhaul of local government in Scotland with greater emphasis on developing a regional level of decision-making.
My sense is that if the UK government is willing to transfer powers to Scottish regions, it will want the Scottish government to do the same.
The Scottish government tends to want any new powers to come to Holyrood, but may in turn be prepared to hand those on to regional authorities.
I think it is also open to considering giving more transport and economic powers that it currently holds to Scottish regions.
This discussion worries some in existing councils who fear powers being sucked up from local to regional level.
While the Scottish and UK governments have a major disagreement over independence, they do work together in other areas.
Two defence technical colleges are to be established in the central belt with funding from each government matched by the other.
Kemi Badenoch says the Tories have no plans to take away powers from the Scottish Parliament
Swinney is expected to promote his renewed push for independence in his keynote speech at the SNP conference on Saturday.
He previously welcomed Burnham telling MPs that a border poll would be considered in both Scotland and Northern Ireland if there was a clear consensus and public opinion had changed.
But Burnham later pushed back on that by telling Swinney at a meeting in Glasgow that a second Scottish independence referendum remains "off limits".
Meanwhile, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said the Tories currently have "no plans" to take away powers from the Scottish Parliament - but that "maybe we need a review" into how devolution is working.
Speaking during a visit to Edinburgh on Thursday, she said: "Devolution is a process. It's not a religion which we should worship.
"This is a process. If a process isn't working, how can you improve the process rather than just say the process is there, there's nothing we can do? We are about solutions."
Badenoch added: "We don't have any plans to take powers away. What we do have plans for are how to make people's lives richer."
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