Prime Minister David Cameron will meet Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon today in Edinburgh to discuss the devolution of power promised by Westminster parties during the referendum campaign.
The landslide victory in the last general election is prompting the Scottish party to hold a second referendum to decide the future of the country, sources close to the party said in London.
Mr Cameron, who is visiting Scotland on a post-election tour of the UK, will promise a devolution bill in the Queen’s Speech later this month, BC reported. Ms Sturgeon will argue that his proposals do not go far enough.
A Downing Street statement said Mr Cameron will fly to Scotland today and pledge to work with Miss Sturgeon ‘for the benefit of all the people of Scotland’.
“He will vow to rapidly implement the Smith Agreement, making Holyrood responsible for more than 60 per cent of Scottish spending.
“I am here today to underline my commitment to our United Kingdom and Scotland’s important place within it. That means remaining true to the promise we made to implement the all-party Smith Agreement to make Scotland one of the most accountable and powerful devolved parliaments in the world,” the statement added.
“It also means recognising those things which unite us in these islands: the achievements we have made together, the institutions we have built together, our great social history, the common economic challenges we face today, and the strength which comes from pulling together for the common good in the future. This is our One Nation agenda in action.”
The two leaders spoke by phone last Friday – the day after election voting – and agreed to hold more detailed discussions at the earliest possible opportunity.
Ms Sturgeon said she had “made it clear” to Mr Cameron during their brief telephone conversation that “it cannot be business as usual” in Scotland.
Mr Cameron’s Conservatives won an overall majority in the election, but Ms Sturgeon’s SNP won 56 of the 59 seats in Scotland.
SNP is now the third largest block in the parliament. They are now occupying the rooms vacated by the Lib Dems.
Daily Mail said the SNP MPs have colonised what was known as the ‘Liberal Democrat corridor’ in the Palace of Westminster, renaming it ‘Freedom Alley’. Its Westminster leader Angus Robertson has moved into Nick Clegg’s old office, taking down the portraits of four-time Liberal prime minister Gladstone.