Boris Johnson pursuing 'dangerous' no-deal strategy, Nicola Sturgeon says after Bute House meeting

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has warned “behind all the bluff and bluster this is a government that is dangerous” following a “very lively” discussion about Scottish independence and Brexit with Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday afternoon.

After meeting with the PM at Bute House, Sturgeon said it was clear “this is a government that is pursuing a no-deal strategy”.

“I think the path that it is pursuing is a dangerous one for Scotland and for all of the UK,” Sturgeon said.

“The Prime Minister said it publicly, and he said it to me again today, that he wants a deal with the EU but with no clarity whatsoever about how he can get from the position now.

“He has taken a very hard line – the withdrawal agreement is dead, the backstop is dead and the EU says it is not open for negotiation. I think if I listen to all of that and what is not being said I think this is a government which is pursuing a no deal strategy, however much they deny that in public.”

Sturgeon said she “made it clear” to Johnson “Scotland should be able to decide its own future”, and at one point challenged the PM “in jest” to a televised debate about a second independence referendum.

“We had a very lively discussion, and an exchange of views about independence. He made the case that he’s for the Union. We had to-ing and fro-ing, I suggested we debate it on television, at which point his advisers stepped in," she said.

Johnson arrived at Charlotte Square yesterday afternoon to a chorus of boos from a crowd gathered over the road, which included Scottish independence and pro-European Union campaigners.

His one-hour meeting with Sturgeon ended in Johnson departing out a rear entrance of Bute House, leading to protesters chanting “back door Boris” as new Secretary of State for Scotland Alister Jack walked out the front entrance.

Sturgeon said she had not witnessed a UK Prime Minister depart from the back door in her time as first minister.

A Number 10 spokesperson said Johnson was “a passionate believer in the power of the Union and he would work tirelessly to strengthen the United Kingdom and improve the lives of people right across Scotland”.

The spokesperson said the PM told Sturgeon, while the UK Government’s preference was to negotiate a new deal, the UK would leave the European Union “on October 31st come what may”.

Johnson “set out the scale of work underway to prepare for our departure” in the meeting and offered to hold a joint ministerial committee “soon so that he can work with the devolved administrations to make sure all corners of the UK are ready to enjoy a bright future outside of the EU”.

They also discussed the UK Government’s pledge to expand growth deals with £300m in new funding, Number 10 said.

Johnson also met with Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson on Monday.

Davidson said they spoke about “our shared determination to strengthen the Union and to make the case against Nicola Sturgeon’s plans for a second referendum on independence”.

“We also discussed the many ways the UK Government can work in Scotland, for Scotland, to boost our economy and support key Scottish businesses,” she said.

The meeting came after Davidson wrote in the Scottish Mail on Sunday that she does not support the UK Government pursuing leaving the EU without a deal.

“I don’t think the government should pursue a no-deal Brexit and, if it comes to it, I won’t support it,” she said, in her column.

However, Davidson did not mention this after meeting with the PM, saying: “On Brexit, the prime minister has made clear the government’s preference is to leave the European Union with a deal. I back him wholeheartedly in that aim.

“Indeed, all 13 Scottish Conservative MPs backed a deal the last time one was presented in the House of Commons, as did the Prime Minister,” she said.

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“The SNP’s warnings about no deal are utterly hypocritical.”