John Swinney and Rhun ap Iorwerth rejected proposals from Andy Burnham to align devolution at the same pace across the four nations, insisting that local decisions belong to their own parliaments. Friction emerged when Defence Secretary Wes Streeting accused the Scottish government of hoarding powers instead of delegating them to local councils. Meanwhile, the summit was further complicated by Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill boycotting the event due to a row between Sinn Féin and the DUP.
Key points
Scotland and Wales firmly maintain that local devolution frameworks fall strictly under t…: Scotland and Wales firmly maintain that local devolution frameworks fall strictly under the jurisdiction of their own devolved parliaments.
Rhun ap Iorwerth criticized Burnham's latest budget as a real-terms funding cut that unde…: Rhun ap Iorwerth criticized Burnham's latest budget as a real-terms funding cut that undermines UK government claims of supporting Wales.
Welsh political figures cautioned Downing Street against attempting to replicate an Engli…: Welsh political figures cautioned Downing Street against attempting to replicate an English-style mayoral governance model across Wales.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
Scotland and Wales’s first ministers have told Andy Burnham that decisions on local devolution rest solely with their parliaments, in response to the prime minister’s push to extend English-style regional powers across the UK.
After talks in Glasgow with John Swinney and Rhun ap Iorwerth about localised employment and reindustrialisation powers, Downing Street characterised the talks as constructive.
However, the defence secretary, Wes Streeting, criticised Swinney’s government before the summit for hoarding powers it acquired from Westminster rather than devolving them further, causing some friction.
Streeting told BBC Scotland: “One of the critiques we have … is that for the Scottish government, devolution is often about transferring power, responsibility, resources from Westminster to Holyrood and the challenge Andy Burnham is setting out is, ‘What about devolving more power also from Holyrood to local government across Scotland?’”
The Northern Ireland first minister, Michelle O’Neill, had also been due at the summit, but did not attend after a political row between Sinn Féin and the DUP. Burnham said it was “disappointing” she was not there.
Military tensions escalated sharply around a vital global energy choke point after Iranian forces targeted commercial and military traffic in the Persian Gulf. Tehran claimed the maritime blasts were triggered by mines targeting vessels straying from permitted shipping channels, alongside downing American military hardware. However, Washington quickly contested Iranian assertions regarding naval drone losses in the contested waters.
Judicial authorities in Jammu and Kashmir have demanded accountability from local officials to enforce the repatriation of a young boy separated from his family. The court dismissed immigration authorities' procedural justifications, invoking fundamental human rights against bureaucratic expulsions that split families. This ongoing legal dispute highlights the precarious status of foreign-born children residing in the region with an Indian parent.
Diplomatic delegations from regional powers are converging on Tehran in a coordinated bid to restore a collapsed ceasefire after eight months of conflict. Although military officials see positive signs in these high-level engagements, they caution that influential regional spoilers still actively seek to derail the peace process for their own interests.