Prime Minister Andy Burnham is expected to visit Scotland on Friday, in the middle of the SNP’s annual conference in Aberdeen, in a move seen as an attempt to disrupt John Swinney’s gathering.
The visit, his first major public appearance in Scotland since taking office in July, is expected to focus on devolving more powers from Holyrood to local communities, rather than the future of North Sea projects such as Jackdaw.
The intervention comes as Swinney faces growing unease within the SNP over proposals to replace Scotland’s 32 councils with as few as six super-authorities and up to 160 community bodies.
A senior Scottish Labour source told The Times: “This is a smart move by the prime minister taking the fight right to the heart of the SNP during their conference this week.”
Burnham’s visit will take place a day before Swinney delivers his keynote conference speech on Saturday.