Burnham to visit Scotland during SNP conference

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham is expected to visit Scotland on Friday, in the middle of the SNP conference in Aberdeen.

Scottish First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney is scheduled to address party members in the city on Saturday afternoon. He plans to use that address to reinvigorate the case for a second independence referendum.

Burnham, the former Manchester mayor, took over at No 10 in July. During the Scotland trip he will discuss his plans to devolve power to local areas, according to the BBC. The SNP invited Burnham to its annual conference ahead of the visit, according to the Scotsman.

The visit sets up a direct contrast on independence. Burnham has said there is "no clear consensus" for another vote. Swinney has said he wants a new independence vote before 2031.

Swinney has announced plans for the biggest pro-independence campaign since the 2014 referendum. Polling by PF Global found that 46% of Scots have a favourable view of Burnham, according to The Guardian.

The Aberdeen conference runs from Thursday to Saturday. It takes place while Peter Murrell, former SNP chair and estranged husband of Nicola Sturgeon, is serving a five-year prison sentence for embezzling £400,000 from the party. A proceeds of crime case against Murrell is scheduled for early December.