Prime Minister Burnham rejects drug decriminalization for personal use
John Swinney renewed the SNP’s call after an 11% rise in Scottish drug deaths. The UK prime minister says he does not support it.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham says he “does not support” decriminalizing drugs for personal use. He said so in an interview with BBC Scotland News, Mixmag reported, answering recent comments from Scottish First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney.
Swinney had reaffirmed his party’s backing for a policy that would end criminal convictions for people found with illicit substances meant for personal consumption. He pointed to 1,133 drug-related deaths in Scotland in 2025, an 11% rise on 2024 and the highest rate of drug deaths in Western Europe. He called the figure “unacceptable and intolerable” and argued decriminalization would give “more control and ability to provide greater support to those affected by drug use”. He expressed sympathy to families who have lost relatives, citing intergenerational poverty and trauma and an upsurge in grossly harmful synthetics.
Burnham said he respects Swinney and that “I’m not going to go there”. He then set out his own position: “I looked at these issues as Mayor of Greater Manchester – I couldn’t support that approach then. I don’t think we should send a confusing message to young people; I think we should be clear about the harm of drugs and that’s the position I take.”
Any decriminalization policy would need approval from the UK government. In 2023, then-SNP leader Humza Yousaf announced plans to decriminalize drugs in Scotland. The Conservative government rejected them as “dangerous”.
