Boris Johnson and his Government must “up their game” to save and strengthen the Union, senior Scottish Conservative figures have warned, as a bigger SNP force at Westminster poses an even greater threat to the survival of the United Kingdom.

The call to create a “Union ethos” across Government came as the Prime Minister chaired the first Cabinet of the new parliamentary session and vowed to work "flat out" to deliver on his new Government's priorities; most notably getting Brexit done.

To this end, he will not attend next month’s World Economic Forum in Davos in the Swiss alps and has also banned ministers from doing so.

In the Commons, the Tory leader received a rousing roar of support from the so-called “blue surge” of Conservative MPs as he made his first appearance at the dispatch box to pay tribute to Sir Lindsay Hoyle, who was reaffirmed as the new Commons Speaker.

In his short address to MPs, Mr Johnson, insisted voters had returned "one of the best Parliaments this country has ever produced".

The self-styled Minister for the Union, rebuffed Nicola Sturgeon’s call for Holyrood to have the power to hold a second vote on Scotland’s future, saying: “It is my belief and the belief of most honourable members in this House that we should resist the calls of those who would break up that United Kingdom. And as the Parliament of the UK we should politely and respectfully defend that partnership and that Union.”

And Downing St announced Douglas Ross, the MP for Moray, had been made a junior minister at the Scotland Office. This post and that of a whip will be unpaid. It looks certain Mr Ross will not be able to continue his extra-curricular role as a football linesman.

The fact Mr Ross’s positions are unpaid suggested Scottish Secretary Alister Jack would see the appointment of another colleague in a paid role at Dover House; before the election there were two junior ministers, both of whom also had jobs elsewhere in Government.

Last night, ahead of a reception for NHS staff in Downing St later today, the PM underscored his Government’s focus on healthcare by announcing that south of the border:

*all nursing students on courses from September 2020 would receive a £5,000 a year grant;

*additional payments of up to £3,000 would be available for students in regions or specialisms struggling to recruit or to help students cover childcare costs and

*there would be an urgent review into the doctors’ pensions taper problem.

“I have heard loud and clear that the priority of the British people is to focus on the NHS and to make sure this treasured institution has everything it needs to deliver world-class care,” declared Mr Johnson.

“The dedicated doctors and nurses epitomise everything that makes the NHS so revered across the world; skill, compassion, energy and dedication.

“At the heart of our manifesto was the guarantee that we will deliver 50,000 more nurses and this new financial support package is a crucial part of delivering this.”

He added: “There can be no doubting our commitment to the NHS and over the coming months we will bring forward further proposals to transform this great country.”

The Herald has learned that the Dunlop Review on how to strengthen the Union - which is sitting on the PM’s desk in draft form – floats the idea of creating a Secretary of State for the Constitution rather than a full-blown Department for the Union.

The role, which could be held by the First Secretary of State ie the Deputy Prime Minister, would seek to enhance the standing of the Union across Government and the country.

However, the suggestion from Tory peer Lord Dunlop is that it would not be a replacement for the territorial Secretaries of State but rather an addition to them.

Indeed, the report refers to the Scottish Secretary having an “enhanced status and voice” within Government and with access to a multi-billion pound fund to create and promote projects in Scotland with special significance and a UK-wide importance, that helps tell the story of the Union.

Government sources have already made clear they want the No 10 Union Unit to be “beefed up” and the Dunlop Review talks of replacing the much-derided Joint Ministerial Committee system with a new intergovernmental structure serviced by an independent secretariat, which, it is hoped, would command greater confidence of the devolved administrations.

While the Dunlop Review – which is due to be published in full in January - focuses on Whitehall’s capability to strengthen the Union, there is a strong feeling within Government that in the final analysis it is not structures that will provide a magic bullet to bolster the United Kingdom and secure it for the future but, rather, the delivery on the ground of important projects to help debunk what UK ministers believe is the “big Nationalist myth” that Scotland has been mistreated and ignored.

However, senior party sources complained that for too long the UK Government has allowed the SNP administration in Edinburgh to set the political narrative and what is needed now, in the wake of the Nationalist election landslide, is a far more pro-active approach to sell the Union to Scotland.

“It’s not just process, what we need is a Union mindset, a Union ethos across Government,” declared one senior Tory. “That would help create a co-ordinated approach across the Scotland Office, the Cabinet Office and No 10. After Thursday, the SNP are not going to play nice.”

Asked if Mr Johnson and his colleagues had to “up their game,” he replied: “Yes, there is no doubt about that.”

Another senior insider said the First Minister and her colleagues were very adept in grabbing the media headlines and that Whitehall had to seize the initiative. “We have to be far more pro-active. We have allowed the Nationalists to dictate the agenda for far too long. With a strong majority Government, we now have a chance to redress the balance and go on the attack,” he insisted.

Earlier, Mr Johnson, addressing the first post-election Cabinet, said there would be no let-up in the "frenetic" pace, telling ministers: "You ain't seen nothing yet, folks."

He stressed: "We should have absolutely no embarrassment about saying that we are a People's Government and this is a People's Cabinet and we are going to be working to deliver on the priorities of the British people.

"That's what they want us to do and we must recognise that people lent us their votes at this election. It was quite a seismic election but we need to repay their trust and work 24 hours a day, work flat out, to deliver on this," added the PM.

There was a jubilant atmosphere in the room at No 10 as Mr Johnson thanked ministers for their work during the campaign and introduced Simon Hart, the new Welsh Secretary.

Ministers banged on the long green Cabinet table four times during the short introduction and laughed along with their leader.

His comments came as Downing Street confirmed the Government would legislate to prevent MPs extending the Brexit transition period beyond the end of 2020.

Ministers are re-working the Withdrawal Agreement Bill - due to come before the Commons on Friday - to "legally prohibit" any further extension while talks on a free trade agreement continue.

Opposition parties said the move was putting the UK on course for a "cliff-edge" no-deal break with the EU in just 12 months' time and concerns were expressed that the reworking of the legislation would ditch the intention to protect workers’ rights.

However, No 10 insisted the commitment on this remained and would in fact be contained in a discrete Employment Bill in tomorrow’s Queen’s Speech.