Scottish Labour leadership candidate Joe Fagan has called on the Scottish National Party (SNP) to prioritize improving public services before pursuing a second independence referendum. Fagan, 39, a former South Lanarkshire Council leader, is competing to replace Anas Sarwar following Labour’s poor performance in May’s Scottish Parliament election.

Fagan argued that many voters who might be sympathetic to independence are currently more concerned with issues such as the National Health Service and the cost of living. He stated that the focus should remain on these basic public concerns rather than pushing for another referendum. “The tragedy of the last Scottish election was that the battleground shifted away from independence onto those issues, and Labour still lost. But the way which Labour wins those voters back is to win in that battleground,” he said.

Fagan’s remarks responded to recent comments by UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who appeared to suggest last week that Scotland could have the same right to hold a breakup vote as Northern Ireland. The Good Friday Agreement legally obliges a referendum if certain conditions are met in Northern Ireland, including a seven-year interval between votes and a clear majority in favor. However, Burnham later clarified that a second Scottish independence referendum remains “off-limits.”

The SNP, led by Deputy First Minister John Swinney, secured a fifth consecutive term in May but failed to achieve an overall majority, winning 58 seats. Labour, in contrast, recorded its worst showing in Holyrood elections, tying for second place with the Reform party. Although pro-independence parties, including the Scottish Greens, now hold a parliamentary majority, constitutional matters such as referendums are reserved to Westminster. Previous UK prime ministers, including Burnham, have consistently rejected calls from Holyrood for an independence plebiscite.

Reform Scotland’s chief Malcolm Offord has recently argued that support from two million Scottish voters for pro-separation parties could constitute a mandate for a second referendum. Fagan declined to specify what conditions should trigger another vote, stating only that such discussions should take place “when the country is in a better place.”

Labour has not held power in the Scottish Parliament since 2007 and has seen declining support in every election since devolution. Fagan’s leadership campaign appears to focus on addressing voters’ immediate concerns as a stepping stone to broader constitutional debates.