Sturgeon: Scotland 'willing and able' to take refugees immediately

Nicola Sturgeon has said Scotland is ''willing and able'' to take a share of Syrian refugees immediately.

The first minister was speaking following a meeting with Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond.

She said Scotland could take a "proportionate number" of refugees, about 2,000, as part of the UK government's resettlement programme.

The UK government has pledged to take 20,000 refugees from camps Syria's borders over the next five years.

Ms Sturgeon has called for more to be done over the refugee crisis, including help for those refugees who have already arrived in Europe in their thousands and are seeking asylum.

Ms Sturgeon and Mr Hammond were also due to discuss the EU vote, a date for which has yet to be set.

The SNP government said it would campaign in favour of remaining within the European Union.

Ministers in Edinburgh believed it would be wrong for the UK to leave unless a majority of voters from each of the nations in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland backed it.

The politicians will discuss the Syrian conflict and what Scotland can do to help dispossessed people