John Swinney has hit back after Andy Burnham revealed in his Labour conference speech that the FM said he would be the last UK Prime Minister on the day his father died.
On Tuesday, Burnham addressed the Labour Party conference in Liverpool for the first time as Prime Minister, laying out his plans for the pension triple lock to pay for a national social care service.
Burnham also became emotional as he touched on the death of his father Roy earlier this month.
The Prime Minister also revealed that Swinney, during a summit with leaders from Wales and Northern Ireland, said Burnham would be the last Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, as he renewed calls for a second independence referendum.
Burnham said he was not seeking to “criticise” John Swinney for his words, but shared the anecdote to show he was determined to prove the First Minister wrong.
Addressing the conference, he said: “On the day my dad died, the Scottish First Minister said I would be the last Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. I quote that not to seek sympathy, nor to criticise John Swinney. I don’t think he knew the news at the time. And anyway my dad Roy would have been the first to defend his right to say it.
“I relay it because I want you to know how it made me feel – utterly determined to prove him wrong.”
Following Burnham’s speech, John Swinney hit back, saying that while he offered his condolences to the Prime Minister upon the death of his father, he could prove he would remain as PM by allowing a second independence vote.
“The first thing I did when I heard that the prime minister’s father had died, was to express my condolences to him,” Swinney said.
“And the second point is, if the Prime Minister is determined to prove that he’s not going to be the last Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, maybe he should let us have a referendum, and we’ll see who’s right.”
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