Nicola Sturgeon and Rishi Sunak hold 'constructive and cordial' talks

In a statement released after the bilateral on the fringe of the British Irish Council in Blackpool, a Scottish Government spokesperson said the two had held "a constructive and cordial discussion" on a "a range of topics, including the need to work together on the cost of living crisis."

The spokesperson added: "Ahead of the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement the First Minister emphasised the need for benefits to rise in line with inflation to support the most vulnerable and for substantial additional investment to be made by the Chancellor in the Health Service.

“Given the extreme pressure being faced by public services like the NHS, the First Minister said additional funding for devolved governments was urgently needed to support people, services, and fair public sector pay uplifts, following the double-digit inflation that has eroded the Scottish Government’s budget since its allocation last year when inflation was at 3per cent."

Currently, the Supreme Court is considering a Scottish Government case looking at whether or not the parliament in Edinburgh can hold a referendum without the consent of Westminster.

If the ruling goes her way the First Minister hopes to hold a second referendum on October 19 next year.

If it does not then the SNP leader has said she will use the next general election as a "de facto referendum."

The spokesman said the First Minister had "made clear" to the Prime Minister that "she intends to honour the manifesto commitment and the electoral mandate for an independence referendum and that the Scottish Government remains ready and willing to negotiate a process to enable that to happen.”

Mr Sunak has previously said he could not "imagine the circumstances" in which he would agree to a new vote.

Speaking later to LBC, the First Minister said both she and Mr Sunak "want to try as hard as we can to build a good constructive working relationship. 

'We've got deep political disagreements. I think we can all take that as read. 

"But we've also got an obligation to work together in the interests of the people we serve. 

"So I'm certainly keen to build that kind of relationship he says he is too so hopefully we'll see that translate from rhetoric into reality."

She said that in recent years there had been "a real lack of respect on the part of the UK Government" towards the devolved governments.

"If we are to reset and do things differently, it will require change in substance not just change in words, she added.

Asked if he was a Prime Minister that she could do business with, Ms Sturgeon replied: "I hope so."

"I mean I’m certainly I'm going to try to do business with him but you know, it's not enough simply to listen and nod his head.

"That sentiment has to translate into… I’m not suggesting I'll get everything I ask the Prime Minister for, or we’ll reach agreement on everything, but there has to be a sense that what we say, particularly if we're talking about the responsibilities of the Scottish Parliament, that there’s not just a willingness to listen and then ignore it all when he leaves the room, but actually a willingness to act as well."

Ms Sturgeon said she was sure Mr Sunak would come north of the border soon: "Anytime he wants to come to Scotland I will be happy to welcome him to Bute house where we can continue these discussions.

"With the exception of his immediate predecessor I welcomed all of the three previous Prime Ministers I've worked with as first minister to Bute House for at times spirited conversations but nevertheless, face to face conversations where we've been able to talk through issues that are important to both of us.

"I look forward to having that opportunity with Rishi Sunak soon."

Asked if she had raised the possibility of a second independence referendum, Ms Sturgeon said: "I, of course, raised that and made clear that I have an electoral mandate to offer the people in Scotland a choice in our future.

"He has said a lot I agree with, as it happens, about the importance of electoral mandates in his own context, but I also said I intend to honour that mandate, with or without the UK Government’s agreement, albeit entirely, constitutionally and legally.

"But the right thing to do would be for the two governments to sit down and agree a process that lets the Scottish people decide.

"So I made it clear to him if he's willing to do that, then I will have that discussion with him." 

Ms Sturgeon said the two had talked about the "difficult choices" the Chancellor will need to make in next week's budget.

"I recognise that, but I raised two important points - there needs to be support for the most vulnerable, benefits rising in line with inflation is an absolute must. 

"And secondly, I raised my profound concern about the pressures on the National Health Service. 

"The management of it is the responsibility of my government, but our ability to invest more in it depends on decisions that the UK Government takes. 

"The Scottish Government is at the limit of what we can do with what is effectively a fixed budget. So if we are to support the NHS, during the most difficult time, arguably in its history, that will require more funding, and I made that point very strongly to the prime minister."

During the council, Mr Sunak also met with Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford. 

However, his key meeting of the day was with outgoing Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin.

The purpose of the British-Irish Council, created by the Good Friday Agreement, is to foster co-operation between the nations of the UK and Ireland.

But that co-operation has been strained in recent years by tensions over the Northern Ireland Protocol and the lack of executive in Stormont. 

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris told LBC that the meeting was “part of hopefully a very positive reset."

At the Summit, which was also attended by Levelling Up Minister Michael Gove and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, Mr Sunak also held "constructive" talks with Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford. 

However, his key meeting of the day was with outgoing Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin.

The purpose of the British-Irish Council, created by the Good Friday Agreement, is to foster co-operation between the nations of the UK and Ireland.

But that co-operation has been strained by tensions over the Northern Ireland Protocol and the lack of executive in Stormont. 

There is a hope that some compromise on the protocol - the post-Brexit trading arrangement between Great Britain and the island of Ireland - can be reached before Christmas. 

It keeps Northern Ireland inside the EU's single market for goods and means there are no checks on goods at the Irish border. 

However, much to the fury of unionists in Northern Ireland,  it does this by effectively placing a border between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. 

The British-Irish Council is normally made of up Irish and UK government representatives along with those from Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey.

But, with the DUP refusing to go into government in Belfast until the protocol is scrapped, there were no official representatives from the province at the two-day event.

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris told LBC that the meeting between the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach was “part of hopefully a very positive reset in the relationship that we have with Ireland".

Speaking to LBC's he said: "And indeed, have a good reset of relationships between James Cleverly and a guy called Maroš Šefčovič, who is the European Commission's negotiator for this matter."

He went on: "The problems are that lots of goods now are not available in Northern Ireland that are available in England, Scotland, and Wales."

Mr Heaton-Harris said he believed disagreements over customs checks could be fixed by sharing of data.

Asked whether we will still be talking about the Northern Ireland Protocol in six months, Mr Heaton-Harris said: "God, I hope not. I mean, it's a very important thing. It really genuinely is. I am a very good Eurosceptic and everything, but there are also many other important things to be talking about."