Nicola Sturgeon tells Liz Truss to act now on energy crisis
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Nicola Sturgeon says she wants good relationship with Liz Truss
Scotland's first minister has urged incoming PM Liz Truss to "act now" by freezing energy bills.
Nicola Sturgeon said she would try to work constructively with the new prime minister despite their "deep differences".
And she said Ms Truss was welcome to visit her at Bute House in Edinburgh whenever she wanted.
Ms Truss has already pledged to take action to deal with surging energy costs.
Her team is understood to have been working on a support package for weeks, with an announcement of the details likely to be made on Thursday.
Industry sources expect the UK government to back a freeze on bills, a move which would cost many billions of pounds.
Ms Truss claimed during the Tory leadership contest that Ms Sturgeon was an "attention seeker" who was best ignored.
The first minister subsequently responded by predicting that Ms Truss would be a "disaster" as prime minister.
But she congratulated Ms Truss on her victory after it was confirmed, adding: "I genuinely wish Liz Truss all the best.
"I know how tough leadership is in the best of times, and we don't live in the best of times - the UK is in probably the worst and most acute crisis of our lifetime".
Ms Sturgeon called on the new prime minister to act "in the coming hours and days" to freeze energy prices for people and businesses.
And she said additional cash support should be given to people who are already finding it impossible to pay bills.
Ms Truss, who has been the UK's foreign secretary, defeated former Chancellor Rishi Sunak by 81,326 votes to 60,399 in the Conservative leadership contest.
She will be formally appointed by the Queen as the country's new prime minister at Balmoral on Tuesday.
The leadership result - which was decided by Conservative Party members - was closer than some people expected.
Ms Truss secured 57% of the votes, compared to Boris Johnson getting 66.4% in 2019, David Cameron 67.6% in 2005 and Iain Duncan Smith 60.7% in 2001.
She won the support of fewer Conservative MPs than Mr Sunak in the first stage of the contest, and is likely to have inherited a deeply divided party.
In her victory speech, Ms Truss said that Tory beliefs such as freedom, the ability of people to control their own lives, and low taxes resonate with the British people.
She also said she had a "bold plan" to cut taxes and grow the UK economy, and has promised to take action on the cost of living crisis.
Ms Truss will be formally appointed as UK prime minister by the Queen on Tuesday
There have been reports that Ms Truss could try to pass a new law, external to make it harder for Scotland to leave the UK by requiring more than half of its total electorate - rather than more than half of those who vote - to back independence.
Ms Sturgeon, who has said she wants to hold an independence referendum next year, said in response to the reports that "only those who fear losing feel the need to change the democratic goalposts".
The first minister also noted that Ms Truss had won the votes of 47% of the total electorate in the leadership contest, adding: "If the principles of her mooted new referendum law applied here, her election would be invalid".
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross - who did not publicly back either candidate in the leadership contest - congratulated Ms Truss on her victory, and called for the party to unite behind her.
He said: "It is time for the whole of the Conservative Party to come together to tackle the big challenges our country faces.
"Throughout her political career, Liz Truss has shown herself to have a record of delivery, whether that was in removing the US tariffs on whisky and cashmere or in managing the UK's robust support for Ukraine both before and following the Russian invasion.
"I look forward to working with our new leader and prime minister as she continues to deliver for Scotland and the whole of the UK at this most challenging of times."
Douglas Ross: "It is right that the party now comes behind the new leader - that's Liz Truss."
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar claimed that Ms Truss did not represent the "fresh start" the country needs, and would instead only deliver "more deceit, division, and distraction".
He added: "Liz Truss might claim to be different to her predecessor, but the grim reality is that a Tory party that has lost touch with reality will still be failing families across the UK."
The Scottish Liberal Democrats also predicted that Ms Truss would be "more of the same", while the Scottish Greens said the new prime minister was "terrible news for Scotland and our environment".