Brexit: Nicola Sturgeon clashes with Theresa May over 'incoherent' EU strategy

"Unclear": Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon speaks to the media in Downing Street, after a meeting with Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May
AP Photo/Alastair Grant
Jamie Bullen24 October 2016
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Nicola Sturgeon has attacked Theresa May for having an incoherent Brexit strategy following “feisty” talks at Downing Street.

The pair clashed at No 10 today after Scotland’s First Minister arrived at No 10 for a Brexit summit where she bemoaned the progress made in negotiations since Britain voted to leave the EU in June.

Ms Sturgeon branded the two-hour talks “feisty” and said the female leaders engaged in a "very frank exchange of views."

She said: “I don't know any more now about the UK Government's approach to the EU negotiations than I did before I went into the meeting.

"We had a very frank exchange of views. I don't mind admitting large parts of the meeting were deeply frustrating.”

"Feisty": The female leaders had a "frank exchange of views" at a Brexit summit
PA Wire

She dismissed suggestion of undermining Britain’s EU withdrawal deal, saying: “I think that is nonsense, and it is not what anybody is seeking to do.

"To be brutally frank about it, you can't undermine something that doesn't exist, and from everything I have heard today in Downing Street there isn't yet a UK Government negotiating position.

"I've no interest in undermining that when it does exist, but I do have a massive interest in protecting Scotland's interest.

“What I'm not prepared to do is stand back and watch Scotland driven off a hard Brexit cliff-edge."

Number 10 said Mrs May had told the devolved administrations she would strike a bespoke Brexit deal that works for the whole of the UK, and wanted their input in shaping a deal.

Mrs May said: "The great union between us has been the cornerstone of our prosperity in the past - and it is absolutely vital to our success in the future.

"The country is facing a negotiation of tremendous importance and it is imperative that the devolved administrations play their part in making it work.

"We have important work to do for the UK in terms of negotiating a smooth exit from the EU and getting the best possible deal for the whole of the UK."

Ministers representing Wales and Northern Ireland also attended the summit.

Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones told Sky News: “We need to make sure we continue to sell in one of the world's biggest markets on the same terms as we do now.”

While Martin McGuinness, Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister, said: "As this process moves along, we need to be at the heart of it," as he warned against the imposition of a "hard border" with the Republic.

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