Andy Burnham is heading to Scotland with an offer of devolution, a concept so popular it's now being deployed as both a peace gesture and a political chess move. The prime minister will use a visit to North Lanarkshire to invite First Minister John Swinney to work with him on devolving power and unlocking jobs and opportunities for every area of the country, declaring that "there is no limit to what we can achieve for the people of Scotland."

Burnham, the former Mayor of Manchester, has made no secret of his desire to spread devolution across the UK's regions, while Swinney has been equally vocal about wanting a second Scottish independence referendum by 2031. Two very different visions of Scotland's future, happening to share a calendar.

The PM's trip conveniently coincides with the SNP's annual party conference in Aberdeen, because nothing says "working together" like showing up in the same country during your opponent's big week. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch is also in Scotland, with an engagement in Glasgow, making this a full house of UK political leaders descending on the same small country.

Burnham is expected to say: "During my first week in office, I told the first minister that I wanted to work with him to spread opportunities to communities across Scotland's regions and cities. Through No10 North, we are rewiring the state and I want to make sure regions in Scotland are fully part of this. This is me making an offer to the Scottish government. With us working together, there is no limit what we can achieve for the Scottish people."

The prime minister will use his speech to claim the Scottish government is one of the most centralised devolved administrations in Europe - a bold accusation that Holyrood does not give enough of a say to people who know their areas best, despite 27 years of significant devolution from Westminster. The PM will call on the Scottish government to work with No10 North and the Scotland Office to develop "a new model of regional empowerment for Scotland, ensuring communities with their own strengths, identity and ambitions can seize new economic opportunities and unlock their potential."

Local devolution is one of the rare policy areas where the Scottish and UK governments can agree on something, with both sides saying they are willing to work together on pushing power into city regions and local communities. But Swinney has warned the prime minister not to overstep by stripping power from Holyrood, which is the political equivalent of accepting a dinner invitation while keeping one hand on your coat.

Swinney is expected to promote his renewed push for independence in his keynote speech at the SNP conference on Saturday. He previously welcomed Burnham telling MPs that a border poll would be considered in both Scotland and Northern Ireland if there was a clear consensus and public opinion had changed - but Burnham later pushed back, telling Swinney at a meeting in Glasgow that a second Scottish independence referendum remains "off limits."

Meanwhile, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said the Tories currently have "no plans" to take away powers from the Scottish Parliament, but that "maybe we need a review" into how devolution is working. Speaking during a visit to Edinburgh on Thursday, she said: "Devolution is a process. It's not a religion which we should worship. This is a process. If a process isn't working, how can you improve the process rather than just say the process is there, there's nothing we can do? We are about solutions." Badenoch added: "We don't have any plans to take powers away. What we do have plans for are how to make people's lives richer."

So to recap: Burnham is offering more devolution, Swinney wants independence, and Badenoch wants a review of the whole thing. Everyone agrees Scotland should have more power - they just disagree on who should be giving it, who should be receiving it, and whether Scotland should be a country at all. British politics, as ever, delivering clarity through sheer volume of competing proposals.