UK’s Starmer seeks ‘reset’ on tour of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales after victory
- UK prime minister makes his first stop in Edinburgh to meet with Scottish First Minister John Swinney
Britain’s new Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed Sunday to “work constructively” with Scotland’s nationalist government as he began a trip aimed at improving ties between London and the UK’s devolved nations.
Starmer met with Scotland’s First Minister and leader of the pro-separatist Scottish National Party (SNP) John Swinney in Edinburgh, promising to “reset” a relationship that has at times turned sour in recent years.
While Starmer noted that “there are clearly differences of opinion between us on some of the constitutional issues” regarding Scottish independence, he told journalists there was a “joint view that we can work constructively together”.
“We discussed the economy, we discussed energy”, Starmer said, adding that “delivery for Scotland is the number one priority” of both governments.
The centre-left Labour premier’s visit to Edinburgh was his first stopover on a whistle-stop tour of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with Starmer expected to travel to Cardiff and Belfast on Monday.
