SCOTLAND’S First Minister has reacted to the news that Liz Truss will become the UK’s next prime minister after succeeding in the Tory leadership contest.
The Foreign Secretary won the lengthy contest with 81,326 votes from members, while former chancellor Rishi Sunak came in second place with 60,399.
It was the closest result since general members have been able to vote in leadership races – with polls appearing to overestimate Truss’s lead.
During the contest, Truss made headlines after suggesting that Nicola Sturgeon would be best ignored when asked how she’d handle the push towards Scottish independence.
The minister also described the SNP chief as an “attention seeker”.
But on Monday Sturgeon responded to Truss’s win in a diplomatic fashion, vowing to “build a good working relationship” with the future prime minister.
“Congratulations to Liz Truss,” the First Minister tweeted. “Our political differences are deep, but I will seek to build a good working relationship with her as I did with last 3 PMs.
“She must now freeze energy bills for people & businesses, deliver more cash support, and increase funding for public services.”
Later, Sturgeon took a more political tone to the incoming PM with a swipe at the result of the race.
It follows reports that Truss is considering a new referendum bill to require 50% of the Scottish elecotrate to vote Yes in order for the Union to be ended
"47% of the total electorate," Sturgeon said of Truss's result.
"Worth noting that if the principles of her mooted new referendum law applied here, her election would be invalid," she pointed out.
The First Minister also reflected on what Truss's election means ahead of the indyref case being heard in the Supreme Court next month.
"We will see what the outcome of that is," she said. “But one thing is clear, and it’s a democratic principle here, the future of Scotland will be decided by the people of Scotland. It will not be decided by Liz Truss, any more than it would have been decided by Boris Johnson before her.
“It’s for Scotland to decide whether it wants to be independent or not.”
Meanwhile Ian Blackford, the SNP's Westminster chief, echoed Sturgeon's cost-of-living message in his response.
However, he was far more critical of Truss and UK Government ministers. He said it was "unforgivable" that the Tory government had "wasted the summer sitting on its hands" rather than acting to resolve the energy bills crisis.
Blackford also suggested that Truss is shaping up to be "even worse than Boris Johnson" with another "shift to the right" coming.
"Liz Truss must now get on with it - there is no more time to waste," he said. "The UK Government must cancel the rise in energy bills immediately, scrap VAT on fuel bills, and deliver a major package of support to put cash in people's pockets.
"All the signs suggest Liz Truss is shaping up to be even worse than Boris Johnson - with the Tories lurching further to the right, and continuing to impose damaging policies like the extreme Brexit that has raised the cost of living.
"And with the new Prime Minister taking the same arrogant and anti-democratic approach to Scotland as her predecessor - it's clear independence is the only way to keep Scotland safe and escape the long-term damage of Westminster control."
Blackford also took aim at at her mandate in Scotland - where her party has just six MPs.
"She cannot deny the democratic decision of the people of Scotland to hold an independence referendum," he said. "By denying democracy, the Westminster parties will only further increase support for independence.
"An energy-rich country like Scotland shouldn't be in the growing mess Westminster has created. Only the full powers of independence can secure Scotland's energy needs and deliver a fairer and more prosperous future."
