Rishi Sunak to meet Nicola Sturgeon for first time as PM

The prime minister is to meet Scotland's first minister for the first time since he was appointed to the role.

Rishi Sunak and Nicola Sturgeon will hold face-to-face talks in Blackpool on Thursday ahead of a meeting of the British-Irish Council.

The two leaders are expected to focus on the cost of living crisis.

Ms Sturgeon will also raise her demand for another independence referendum.

Mr Sunak spoke to Ms Sturgeon on the phone on 25 October - the day he was formally appointed as prime minister by the King.

The call was described as being constructive, with both leaders saying they would seek to work closely together despite the political differences between them.

Mr Sunak's predecessor Liz Truss did not have any formal talks with Ms Sturgeon during her brief spell in Downing Street.

Ms Truss claimed during the contest to succeed Boris Johnson that Ms Sturgeon was an "attention seeker" who was best ignored.

The Scottish government said Ms Sturgeon would use her meeting with the new PM to stress the importance of avoiding "damaging austerity" measures in the upcoming Autumn Statement.

She will also highlight the "importance of respecting the right of the people of Scotland to choose their own constitutional future", a spokesman said.

Ms Sturgeon has said she wants to hold a second vote on independence in October 2023, but Mr Sunak has shown no indication that he is likely to grant formal consent.

The UK Supreme Court is currently considering whether the Scottish parliament has the legal power to hold a referendum without that consent being in place.

Mr Sunak has previously said that ignoring Ms Sturgeon and the SNP would be "dangerously complacent" and described the first minister and her party as an "existential threat to our cherished union".

The prime minister will also hold talks with Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Mark Drakeford, the Welsh first minister, before the 38th meeting of the British-Irish Council opens.

Mr Sunak will be the first prime minister since Gordon Brown in 2007 to attend the summit, which brings together political leaders from across the British Isles.

He will call on those attending the event to focus on tackling shared issues through closer collaboration, and warn of the "huge challenges" posed by the global economy and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

He is expected to say: "Let's be pragmatic. Let's work together in our shared interests.

"Let's deliver for all our people across these great islands - and build a future defined not by division, but by unity and hope."

He will also reiterate his commitment to restoring the Northern Ireland Executive.