FM BACKS CLINTON

Nicola Sturgeon has warned Theresa May must “honour her promise” to keep Scotland at the heart of crunch Brexit negotiations or face the breakup of the UK, as both leaders prepare for showdown talks in London.

The First Minister admitted she has been left “frustrated” by the approach of the Tory leader since they met in Edinburgh in the days after Mrs May replaced David Cameron in Downing Street.

The SNP leader warned again that Scotland must be allowed to stay in the EU single market even if other parts of the UK leave – and that failure to secure this will mean a second independence referendum is staged.

Ms Sturgeon again repeated her belief that such a scenario is now “highly likely” in the aftermath of the Brexit vote.

Proposals for a separate deal which Scotland could broker with the EU will be published by Ms Sturgeon in the next few weeks, while a new Bill for a second independence referendum will be unveiled in the coming days.

Ms Sturgeon said: “Theresa May, perfectly legitimately, has said she values the UK, she wants to keep the UK together. In the independence referendum, Scotland was told repeatedly it was an equal partner in the UK.

“My message to the Prime Minister is, it’s now time to prove these things and demonstrate to Scotland that our Nicola Sturgeon broke with diplomatic convention yesterday and backed Hillary Clinton for the US presidency. The First Minister said she had been “horrified” by Donald Trump’s comments about women.

“That is really misogyny at its worst and I think we’ve all got to stand up against that,” the SNP leader said.

The First Minister admitted it was “not usual for politicians in other countries to comment on elections in other countries”.

But she added: “I hope America doesn’t elect Donald Trump. I hope it elects Hillary Clinton.”

Theresa May has said that the US election is a matter for voters across the Atlantic and declined to endorse either candidate.