Gove : First Minister should stop showboating

Michael Gove has urged Nicola Sturgeon to show some “humility” and stop manufacturing grievance as he called for a “more mature” approach between the UK and Scottish governments.

The UK environment minister he hoped discussions over Brexit would “enter a more mature phase”.

He said recent “cordial” conversations with Fergus Ewing and Roseanna Cunningham had seen a “change in the atmosphere”.

He said: “In the past the Scottish Government preferred grandstanding and showboating to actual constructive engagement. We now have an opportunity for a more constructive approach and judging from the conversation I had yesterday with Fergus Ewing and Roseanna, I think we are moving to a new phase.”

Speaking on BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland programme, Mr Gove said the First Minister should show some humility following a general election that saw the SNP lose 21 seats. “So far Nicola Sturgeon, instead of seeking consensus, has tried consistently to manufacture grievance,” he added.

In the interview, Mr Gove declined to say whether he would still be arguing for a separatescottishimmigration system, as he pledged in the EU referendum.