Andy Burnham has gone to Scotland, where the SNP annual conference is under way in Aberdeen. In his speech at Labour’s get together in Liverpool, he gave one of the most passionate defences of the Union by a major British politician since the Scottish referendum 12 years ago. Today he delivered a speech on devolution 150 miles away in Lanarkshire. He invited the SNP to join him in pushing power out of the capital and into the regions.

Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader, is also north of the border, urging Burnham to rule out another independence referendum. John Swinney, the SNP leader and First Minister, of course, is busy arguing that if Burnham wants to revisit the Brexit referendum result, the Scots should be allowed to have another go too.

Scotland remains in the Union and is a central factor in Labour’s electoral success, so it will have an outsize bearing on whether the PM dares to call a general election in the spring. He is expected to announce an opening of the Jackdaw and Rosebank oil and gas drilling soon – decisions which have huge implications for Scottish jobs.

If he cares........

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