Truss: I want to work with Nicola Sturgeon

Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Speaking to BBC Scotland on Thursday after a tumultuous week for the British economy, the Prime Minister said: “What I want to do is work with Nicola Sturgeon to deal with our energy crisis and that’s about making sure we’re producing more homegrown energy – I’m keen to use more of the resources in the North Sea and I am very keen to work with Nicola Sturgeon to make sure we grow the Scottish economy Liz Truss “I’m very keen to talk to Nicola Sturgeon about that because I think that will help us make sure we have long-term energy security that, alongside wind power in Scotland, we also have nuclear power in Scotland.” When asked if she was playing into the hands of supporters of Scottish independence, the Prime Minister didn’t answer the question, saying instead: “I am very keen to work with Nicola Sturgeon to make sure we grow the Scottish economy. “Scotland is a country that has fantastic entrepreneurs, fantastic exports, I believe that by improving infrastructure, by reducing taxes, we can really turbocharge the Scottish economy.” The Prime Minister’s entreaties towards Ms Sturgeon come after she said during a Tory hustings event as she ran for leader of the party Ms Sturgeon was an “attention seeker” who should be ignored. “There will be issues on which we are unable to agree, we take a different stance on nuclear power for example.” When the Prime Minister’s comments were put top him, the Deputy First Minister added: “We won’t sign up to that and we’ve made that very clear and it’s been a clear policy of the Scottish National Party government for 15 years and it’s not going to change.” Mr Swinney went on to say he was not aware of plans for a meeting between the First Minister and Prime Minister, adding that Ms Sturgeon’s office had made a request for such a meeting. “There was a commitment given by Boris Johnson to four nations discussions on the cost-of-living crisis – they haven’t happened yet and they get more and more urgent by the day,” he said, “because the cost-of-living crisis is being exacerbated by the foolish decisions taken by the UK Government on tax cuts, which are causing market instability, creating real difficulties in the housing market, increasing interest rates, weakening the pound and undermining the assets of people in the United Kingdom.” Ms Truss had earlier stood by her plans, which she described as “decisive action”.