Douglas Alexander to urge Scottish and UK governments to work together

{'type': 'paragraph', 'text': 'Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander will address the Labour Party conference on Sunday. He plans to contrast the British Prime Minister with Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney, accusing Swinney of centralising power in Edinburgh. Alexander’s central appeal will be for the Scottish and UK governments to “work together”.'}

{'type': 'paragraph', 'text': 'Alexander will argue that Andy Burnham is not just an advocate for devolution but has practised it. He intends to cite Burnham’s work in Manchester on bus regulation, tackling homelessness and delivering growth as examples of devolution producing practical outcomes.'}

{'type': 'paragraph', 'text': 'He will say too many public services are gripped by crisis, too many young people are denied opportunities and many older people lack the peace of mind they deserve in retirement. Alexander plans to frame Scotland as a shared country — not John Swinney’s Scotland or his alone, but “our Scotland” — and to argue that cooperation is needed to fulfil its potential.'}

{'type': 'paragraph', 'text': 'A Scottish National Party representative identified in the report as Mr Middleton replied that Alexander talks about home rule but should focus on reasonable steps toward an agreed process rather than defend a Westminster system he described as coming to an end. Middleton said the British Prime Minister had again said this week that Scotland has the right to decide. He argued that the SNP is rewiring the state around Scottish priorities, while independence could build a wealthier Scotland back in the European Union.'}