Badenoch criticises Swinney and Burnham over referendum talk

Summarised from Daily Mail's report · Updated 15 Oct, 21:02 · Archive

Kemi Badenoch has criticised John Swinney and Andy Burnham for discussing referendums, calling for focus on using existing powers instead.

Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative Party leader, has attacked John Swinney and Andy Burnham over their discussion of referendums. On a visit to Edinburgh on Thursday to meet entrepreneurs, she criticised Swinney as a 'broken record' after he announced a new Scottish independence campaign launching at the SNP conference this weekend. She also suggested the Prime Minister believed a future Labour manifesto could promise another in-out referendum on Brexit.

Badenoch said the country should stop discussing 'endless referendums' on Scottish independence or EU membership, describing them as a distraction. She called for focus instead on using existing powers to generate growth for the United Kingdom. She said that people who believed independence or EU membership would solve every problem were not serious about governance and that Swinney and the SNP 'don't know what Scotland needs'.

Read the report

• Kemi Badenoch hits out at both Andy Burnham and John Swinney as she demands end to 'endless' referendumsKemi Badenoch demanded John Swinney and Andy Burnham stop talking about 'endless' referendums as she backed a review of Holyrood powers.Daily Mail · 15 Oct, 19:39

In this story: Kemi Badenoch · John Swinney · Andy Burnham · SNP · Scotland · Edinburgh · United Kingdom

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