DOUGLAS Ross will meet with Rishi Sunak on Monday as the new Prime Minister launches a charm offensive in a bid to woo Scots voters turned off by his predecessors.
The Prime Minister will meet with the Scottish Conservatives leader in Downing Street this week in what a Conservative source described as a move which illustrates Sunak’s grasp of the importance of the “constitutional issue”.
He is also said to be planning a visit north of the Border as soon as possible, the Herald on Sunday reports.
A senior Conservative source told the paper: “The Prime Minister is hoping to visit Scotland in the next few weeks.
“But he is newly in the job, got tonnes on his plate so there hasn’t been a date fixed as such. But it is the intention. He said to Douglas he wants to come up as soon as it is feasible.
“They are having a meeting in Downing Street on Monday. It is a sign that the Prime Minister really wants to engage and is aware of the significance of the constitutional issue.
"They’ll be looking at a strategy how to approach the constitutional issue and how to be as constructive as he can with the Scottish Government.
“We are conscious of not wanting to give the SNP any opportunities to say ‘the UK Government is being unreasonable’ because, we feel, the First Minister likes this grievance narrative.
“We are looking to be as reasonable and open as we can, while clearly disagreeing on the central issue [of the constitution]. But we want to engage.”
The Herald on Sunday reports there is no date yet set to meet with the First Minister.
Sunak called Nicola Sturgeon within hours of his appointment as PM last week.
The SNP leader took to Twitter after their conversation to urge Sunak to call an early General Election and to warn him against imposing austerity measures.
The new Prime Minister is reportedly considering a package of spending cuts and tax hikes worth up to £50 billion in what would amount to a return to 2010-style austerity, in the model of David Cameron’s government.
The more conciliatory tone appears a calculated move to attempt to undo the damage caused by Liz Truss and Boris Johnson’s disastrous premierships, both of which collapsed this year.
Truss became the shortest-serving prime minister in UK history earlier in the month and left office without ever speaking to Scotland’s First Minister, whom she had branded an “attention seeker” during the Tory leadership race.
Downing Street was approached for further comment.
