OUR Scottish Future is to stage a major rally next month to make the case for a plan that makes Britain work for Scotland.
Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford and Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester are confirmed as speakers at the event to be held on June 1st in Edinburgh.
They will be joined by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and comedian and actor Arabella Weir to set out the case for radical reform to political institutions across the UK.
Mr Brown said yesterday that the vision of a new UK can unite people in Scotland and across Britain who are looking for a better future.
Our Scottish Future was formed three years ago to make the case for Scottish devolution and for reform of the UK.
Last year, the Brown Commission published its report on the UK’s Future, proposing major reforms to Westminster, a replacement of the House of Lords, and further devolution across the UK.
The June 1st rally will aim to bring together supporters from across the UK to show the united demands for change both in Scotland and outside it.
Gordon Brown said: “There are many things we are divided about as a country, whether it’s over culture, the constitution, or on the economy. But we can all unite around a mission to change the UK and tackle the great challenges of the 21s century: poverty, inequality, climate change, and sustained economic growth.
“In our politics, people are looking for a hopeful message which shows how Scotland and the UK can work together.”
Mark Drakeford, First Minister of Wales and Leader of Welsh Labour, said: “The current union of the United Kingdom isn’t working for people in any part of this country we are proud to call home.
“We need a new, strengthened union, which guarantees that no one will find themselves unable to eat or relying on a food bank; facing old age or illness at the margins of society. A union which offers strong devolution for all parts of the UK; a union where all four nations are treated as equals.
“In Gordon’s report we have a blueprint for real and lasting change to transform our country for the better.”
The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham said: “Just like Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the North of England has suffered from an over-concentration of political and economic power in the South East of the UK.
“This is changing with the devolution of power out of Westminster but in our experience it works best when it goes deep. Places in all parts of the UK should have the ability to build a better future from the bottom up and collaborate with neighbours.
“The creation of Mayoral Combined Authorities in England is enabling places like Greater Manchester to begin to chart our own destiny. But whilst devolution needs to spread throughout England, it’s also important that powers are devolved out of Holyrood and into local areas.
“Gordon has set out a route map for the empowerment of communities and the strengthening of the bonds between all the regions and nations of the United Kingdom.”
The event will take place at Central Hall in Edinburgh, at 730pm on June 1st.
Attendees must register their intention to come and can do so here:
Making Britain Work For Scotland, Thu 1 Jun 2023 at 19:30 | Eventbrite
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