Britain’s Johnson calls for crisis talks after Scottish nationalists’ election win

The PM has invited the leaders of the devolved governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to a summit

It follows the fourth straight parliamentary victory for the pro-independence Scottish National Party

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Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Photo: AP

Published: 9:45pm, 9 May 2021Updated: 9:45pm, 9 May 2021

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday invited the leaders of the UK’s devolved nations for crisis talks on the union after Scotland’s pro-independence party won its fourth straight parliamentary election.

Nicola Sturgeon, leader of the Scottish National Party, said the election results proved that a second independence vote for Scotland was “the will of the country” and that any London politician who stood in the way would be “picking a fight with the democratic wishes of the Scottish people.”

The United Kingdom is made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with devolved governments in the latter three.

Scotland's First Minister and Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon. Photo: AP

Johnson congratulated Sturgeon on her re-election, but told the leaders of the devolved governments in a letter that the UK was “best served when we work together.” The letter invited the leaders to a summit to discuss plans to recover from the coronavirus pandemic and work out how the four nations can work together to overcome “shared challenges.”

Final results of Thursday’s local elections showed that the SNP won 64 of the 129 seats in the Edinburgh-based Scottish Parliament. Although it fell one seat short of securing an overall majority, the parliament still had a pro-independence majority with the help of eight members of the Scottish Greens.