Parliamentarians respond to Burnham’s policy agenda
SHETLAND’s two parliamentarians have welcomed prime minister Andy Burnham’s policy proposals on electoral reform and a much closer relationship with the European Union.
Both Lib Dem MP Alistair Carmichael and newly elected SNP MSP Hannah Mary Goodlad shared their thoughts with Shetland News on Burnham’s vision for the UK, delivered in a wide-ranging speech at the Labour conference earlier this week.
Burnham said Labour would launch a national commission electoral reform, as well a new National Care Service.
He also said the UK would hold a summit with the EU in order to form closer ties and strike new deals.
Referring to proportional representation, Goodlad said she was glad to see the prime minister was on this occasion looking further north for inspiration than his No 10 North office in Manchester.
Carmichael, meanwhile, also pointed to the Scottish Parliament in advising the prime minister to learn the lessons from Scotland as he aims to introduce free social care in England and Wales.
Both agreed of the benefits of a closer relationship with the EU, with Goodlad highlighting that Scotland had not just lost EU funding but was also disadvantaged in the distribution of its replacement.
Carmichael, who in his 25 years in the Commons has seen many prime ministers come and go, said what is clear is that Burnham “is not afraid to take a more bullish stance on controversial issues”.
“While I would like to see more immediate action on electoral reform, I am encouraged by the prime minister’s commitment to go into the next election with a fairer voting system in the Labour manifesto,” the Orkney and Shetland MP said.
“My party has been consistent in our backing for electoral reform for generations – in the multi-party system we have today it is an idea whose time surely has come.
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“Changes to the triple lock on the state pension have to be approached cautiously. When my party brought in the triple lock in government it was because there was a serious gap between salaries and the income received by poorer pensioners.
“I know that the prime minister has said these changes will not go into effect until at least 2030 but it is essential that the future settlement for the state pension is both financially sustainable and protects the most vulnerable.
“Mr Burnham’s commitment on social care could be his most lasting legacy if he succeeds. It also has the potential to drag him into unproductive fights.
“There should be something to be learned here from the Scottish experience of free personal care, which we have had since the Labour-Lib Dem coalition introduced it [in 2002] – particularly the importance of funding it properly.
“Like many families in Scotland who have older parents or grandparents, I have witnessed how hard our carers work, but also how poorly supported and paid they can be.
“We all saw the mess that the SNP government made of their national care service proposals in Scotland, primarily because they had not thought them through beyond the PR headlines or properly collaborated with other parties and local councils.
“If Mr Burnham is going to succeed where they failed then his first and best step will be to build consensus across the political divide on the best route forward.
“I was glad meanwhile to hear a more pragmatic and optimistic take on cooperation with our European allies. The debate on our future relationship with the EU is not going away and we can all see the cost of Brexit to our economy at this point.
“I suspect it will still be something of a ‘baby-steps’ approach from Burnham for the time being but ultimately isolationism and nationalism are luxuries that we cannot afford in 2026 – we need to work more closely with our neighbours.”
Meanwhile Goodlad described the first past the post electoral system as outdated and not representative.
“It was heartening to see that Andy Burnham has been looking even further north than his new Number 10 for inspiration on his policy agenda,” she told Shetland News.
“Proportional voting here in Scotland has delivered parliaments which actually represent the range of views across our population, encouraging parties to work together, rather than the outdated first past the post system for all UK elections to date.
“It is very welcome to finally hear a UK prime minister admitting what a colossal economic mistake it was to cut ties with Europe so dramatically and be open to at least considering undoing some of the economic damage done to our businesses.
“The UK government’s promised EU replacement funding has never properly materialised, and any funding which has been forthcoming has not been allocated fairly – the fishing and coastal growth fund being a clear example of England benefiting while Scotland’s fishermen lose out on the funding they need.
“It was concerning that eye-watering energy bills don’t seem to be high on the Prime Minister’s agenda from his remarks on Tuesday – we can’t wait for a 10 year plan for lower bills, people in Shetland are struggling right now with the worst fuel poverty in the UK.
“Scotland needs control of its own energy – we need to have the power to bring down bills for good.”
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