Nicola Sturgeon holds first meeting with PM Rishi Sunak

Rishi Sunak and Nicola Sturgeon held talks ahead of a meeting of the British-Irish Council

Nicola Sturgeon has met Rishi Sunak for the first time since he became prime minister.

Scotland's first minister said the meeting was "cordial and constructive" despite the pair having "profound political disagreements".

She said they discussed the cost of living crisis, the NHS and her desire for a second Scottish independence referendum.

Mr Sunak called on political leaders to unite to tackle shared challenges.

The talks were held in Blackpool ahead of a meeting of the British-Irish Council.

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Ms Sturgeon said: "It is good to be able to sit down with the prime minister, as I used to do with Rishi Sunak's predecessors, and to talk through issues that we are all grappling with."

Rising inflation and the cost of living crisis were among topics on the agenda.

Mr Sunak said: "The economic challenges we face are similar, whether you are in Belfast or Dublin, Swansea or Edinburgh or indeed Yorkshire.

"So I thought it was important to come here, talk to other leaders about how we can relentlessly focus on coming together to serve the people that we represent across all these islands."

Afterwards, he used Twitter to say it was "great to meet" Ms Sturgeon and Mark Drakeford, the first minister of Wales.

"Teamwork, absolute focus and collective effort will be required to deal with the shared challenges faced by people across the UK," Mr Sunak added.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove were also involved in the discussions.

Ms Sturgeon said she spoke about her "profound concerns about the NHS and the fact it is close to breaking point across the UK".

"It's my government's responsibility to manage the NHS in Scotland," the SNP leader said. "But our ability to invest in it depends on the decisions taken by the UK government and we in Scotland are at the limits of what we can do."

She called for an "injection of investment" in the health service ahead of the upcoming Autumn Statement.

And she explained their discussion about a second independence referendum, which she wants to hold in October 2023.

The UK Supreme Court is currently considering whether the Scottish parliament has the legal power to hold a referendum without the UK government's consent.

On a second independence referendum, Ms Sturgeon said she would not allow Scottish democracy to be "held prisoner" by Westminster.

"The right way of doing that would be for the UK government to respect the mandate and agree a process to allow the people of Scotland to decide," she said.

Mr Sunak has given no indication that he is likely to grant formal consent for a second vote.

He has previously said that ignoring Ms Sturgeon and the SNP would be "dangerously complacent" and described the first minister and her party as an "existential threat to our cherished union".

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While acknowledging "deep and profound political disagreements", the first minister expressed hopes for a constructive relationship.

It comes after Mr Sunak's predecessor Liz Truss failed to have any formal talks with Ms Sturgeon during her brief spell in Downing Street.

Ms Truss claimed during the contest to succeed Boris Johnson that the first minister was an "attention seeker" who was best ignored.

Ms Sturgeon said: "There's been a lack of respect on the part of the UK government or riding roughshod over the powers and responsibilities of devolved parliaments.

"Now, I welcome Rishi Sunak's words about wanting to reset the relationship and do things differently. I really welcome that.

"But the proof of the pudding will be in the eating. We need to see from the UK government proper respect.

"And if if that is the case, then I do believe that notwithstanding our disagreements, we'll be able to build a good relationship."

Rishi Sunak appears to have pushed the reset button on relations with Nicola Sturgeon and the devolved Scottish government.

By making an early effort to meet the first minister, he's already done more for intergovernmental relations than his predecessor Liz Truss managed in her six-week premiership.

While Nicola Sturgeon has welcomed the chance to discuss shared challenges with the PM and his talk of closer co-operation, she is also putting their relationship to an immediate test.

To solve the pay dispute with nurses and other NHS workers, the first minister has asked for more money from the UK government and will find out in next week's Autumn Statement whether or not that's forthcoming.

There are, of course, policy differences on things like independence and nuclear power where there is little scope for agreement but that does not have to mean they can't do business in other areas.

Rishi Sunak's expected to visit Scotland in the near future and it's not impossible that he and Nicola Sturgeon might jointly announce the two successful bids for green freeport status.