Burnham calls summit of Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish first ministers
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Burnham calls summit of Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish first ministers - Published Andy Burnham says he will bring together the leaders of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland this autumn for a summit to help boost the UK economy. He made the announcement on a visit to Tata steelworks in Port Talbot - his first official visit to Wales - where he met workers, apprentices and senior executives. He also suggested Wales and Scotland consider ways to deepen devolution by following England's model where more powers are given to cities and regions under mayors. The first ministers of Wales and Scotland, and the first and deputy first ministers of Northern Ireland will meet the prime minister at the National Economic Council in October. The prime minister also said he was "open to the conversation" about handing control of policing in Wales to the Welsh government and the Senedd. Former Greater Manchester mayor Burnham took over from Sir Keir Starmer in July, after winning the Makerfield by-election. Burnham visited Port Talbot as part of his listening tour. The prime minister met the Plaid Cymru Deputy First Minister of Wales, Sioned Williams as part of the visit. Plaid is pushing for more Welsh devolution and Burnham said he had promised "to look at any asks" on the matter as "somebody who believes in devolution". He said he also wanted to offer the Welsh government and "the various communities and regions of Wales, the ability to have deeper devolution in the way that we're pioneering that in England, and that's an offer that I'm putting on the table". Burnham is giving more powers to regional mayors in England, including a share of income tax revenue and the ability to overrule local councils on some planning decisions. "Maybe there's an argument for deeper devolution, so more power into the cities and the regions of Wales, to north Wales working more with the north West [of England], or mid Wales more with the West Midlands, of the kind of devolution that is developing now quite quickly across England," he said. The prime minister has previously said Cardiff and Holyrood can feel as remote from local communities in Wales and Scotland as Westminster, and expressed support for empowering local communities rather than just directing public services from the devolved governments. That prompted First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth to warn him not to "bypass" Wales' parliament. "All of this can be discussed at the National Economic Council that I've called for October," said Burnham on Thursday. "Number 10 North is as much at the service of Wales, as it is at the service of England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, and it's there to make Whitehall work better for Wales, and that's what I've said to the Welsh government today." The National Economic Council was created by Gordon Brown's UK government in the wake of the 2008 banking crash, and has now been revived by Burnham. A previous meeting brought together government ministers and English local authority mayors. Plaid ministers also want reform of the formula known as Barnett that decides how much money is sent from Westminster to the Welsh government, providing the vast majority of its funding. Burnham previously backed the argument that Barnett does not fairly reflect Wales' needs, and said in Port Talbot he was "well aware of the concerns". But he added: "I have to be honest and say - there's only so many things I can do in the time that I've got. "At the moment I can't promise there will be moves to review that." Some workers at Tata's Llanwern plant, around 50 miles east on the M4, have been put on lighter duties with unions blaming competition from cheap steel imports. It follows a decision by UK ministers to raise the quotas limits on countries including South Korea, India, and Vietnam. "The quotas that we've that we've set need to be kept under under review," said Burnham. "The steel sector is in flux around the world, and it's moving fast, and things are changing. "And what we have got to do is to support the British steel industry as best we can through that. But recognizing that we also got to support the wider the wider economy and find the right point of balance on these on these issues." Tata Port Talbot is in the process of being converted to greener steel production, and building a new electric arc furnace. "This transition is hugely difficult, and it can't be done unless the UK government stands right behind the people here," said the prime minister. "Finally, we're doing something right here, which is industrial transition, trying to go from one era into a new one. If we pull this off, Wales could have the first green steel production capacity in Europe, the biggest green steel production in the world. "What a prize that is for Wales!" Earlier, the Welsh government said: "We look forward to discussing shared challenges, including ensuring growth and investment in all the countries represented, and support for families facing the continuing cost-of-living crisis. "This is alongside further discussions with the UK government to progress broader priorities in Wales, including fair funding and extending devolution."nt in Cardiff. Ap Iorwerth had his first meeting with the new prime minister on the sidelines of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in July. Welsh Liberal Democrat MP David Chadwick said Wales "needs action" if the prime minister is serious about "easing the burden on Welsh families". Reform UK's Welsh leader Dan Thomas said ahead of the visit that Burnham "may well be the last Labour prime minister to come to Wales". "We have no doubt that when the prime minister finally calls a general election and stops running scared, it will be the end of the line for Labour here in Wales," he said. More top stories - Facebook seller mis-sold me a horse that kicked my daughter in the head - Published4 hours ago Sign up for our Politics Essential newsletter to keep up with the inner workings of Westminster and beyond.
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