Boris Johnson has invited Nicola Sturgeon to a UK summit on the cost of living crisis after phoning the First Minister to thank her for her support for Ukraine.
The Prime Minister used a call to the SNP leader and Welsh Labour FM on Monday to issue the invitation to a meeting later this year. The summit would be the first of the Prime Minister and Heads of Devolved Governments Council proposed by the UK government in the wake of the covid pandemic.
Johnson previously declined to meet the First Minister during a visit to Scotland last August but the pair met formally at the Cop 26 Climate Summit in Glasgow later that year.
In his call the PM updated the devolved leaders on international support for Ukraine and for Scotland’s £65 million contribution to military hardware with an additional £30 million from Wales.
He also thanked Sturgeon for the 6,000 people sheltered in Scotland under the Homes for Ukraine scheme and said he was pleased to see the UK coming together in support of international allies.
Johnson tweeted “Thank you, Scotland” after the call.
The proposed meeting, which will probably take place after the summer recess would involve the Prime Minister’s new cost of living czar David Buttress.
The multimillionaire co-founder and former boss of takeaway app company Just Eat grew up on a Welsh council estate.
Buttress has been tasked by the UK government with helping companies come up with “practical and real cost-of-living saving initiatives”.
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