Prime minister rejects Welsh government power to call independence vote

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has ruled out giving the Welsh government powers to hold a referendum on Welsh independence, saying the issue should be decided jointly with Westminster. Burnham said other UK nations did not possess such authority and that he did not believe the government could create a different arrangement for Wales. He argued that the UK Parliament needed to have a say on a constitutional question of that scale.

First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth said last week that he would seek the power to hold an independence referendum. He ruled out holding such a vote before the next Senedd election in May 2030. Burnham said the Welsh government would receive a “fair hearing” on devolution.

He also said he was open to examining a proposal known as Cynnal, under which 15,000 children under six in households already receiving universal credit would be offered £10 a week. That proposal would require agreement from the Department for Work and Pensions and HM Revenue and Customs to ensure the payment was not taxed or used to reduce other benefits funded by the UK government. Burnham said he would ensure that the proposal was properly discussed.

The prime minister also addressed the possibility of giving Wales control over policing. He had previously indicated that he was open to the idea, but said this was a matter of examining the case rather than adopting a fixed position. BBC Wales reported that many Welsh Labour MPs opposed the proposal.

The debate comes before Labour’s annual conference and amid renewed discussion about Wales’s constitutional future. A Reform motion supporting Wales remaining part of the UK was rejected by the Senedd earlier in the week, while a revised Plaid Cymru motion saying Welsh people should decide the country’s constitutional future was passed. Burnham is due to meet the first ministers of the UK nations next month.

He said discussions about devolution, powers and funding would continue beyond the weekend.