Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits Faslane ahead of meeting with Nicola Sturgeon

Nicola Sturgeon and Boris Johnson are expected to meet at Bute House this afternoon as the Prime Minister marks his first visit to Scotland with a tour of the Faslane naval base.
Boris Johnson is expected to meet with Nicola Sturgeon later today. Picture: PA/SNPBoris Johnson is expected to meet with Nicola Sturgeon later today. Picture: PA/SNP
Boris Johnson is expected to meet with Nicola Sturgeon later today. Picture: PA/SNP

The First Minister will reiterate warnings about the economic damage from any Brexit deal, particularly a no-deal Brexit, with the UK Government saying on Monday that it would put £100m into an information campaign to prepare the country for crashing out of the EU on 31 October.

Mr Johnson visited Faslane naval base this morning, where the UK's nuclear arsenal is based.

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Boris Johnson is expected to meet with Nicola Sturgeon later today. Picture: PA/SNPBoris Johnson is expected to meet with Nicola Sturgeon later today. Picture: PA/SNP
Boris Johnson is expected to meet with Nicola Sturgeon later today. Picture: PA/SNP

The Prime Minister is unveiling £300m worth of funding for new city-region deals, split between Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The PM, speaking during his visi to Faslane, said that while "there's no change in their position" the feeling was "very, very positive".

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He said: "They all know where we are, we can't accept the backstop, it was thrown out three times, it won't work, the Withdrawal Agreement as it stands is dead. I think everybody gets that.

"But there is ample scope to do a new deal, to do a new deal and a better deal.

"But at the same time it is right, as the Government has said for the last three years, to prepare for no deal and we're also going to be doing that very actively and with great confidence."

Commenting ahead their anticipated meeting in Edinburgh, Ms Sturgeon said: "The people of Scotland did not vote for this Tory Government, they didn’t vote for this new Prime Minister, they didn’t vote for Brexit and they certainly didn’t vote for a catastrophic no-deal Brexit which Boris Johnson is now planning for.

“Boris Johnson has formed a hard-line Tory government with one aim – to take Scotland and the UK out of the EU without a deal.“Scotland has been ignored throughout the Brexit process and it is now time for everyone who cares about the future of Scotland to come together to chart our own course and say to the Tories – stop driving our country towards disaster.”