Humza Yousaf invites Keir Starmer for talks and says he is 'willing' to work with Labour Government

Humza Yousaf has invited Keir Starmer for talks after declaring the Labour leader will be the next Prime Minister.

The First Minister said he is “very willing” to work with Starmer and pointed to Labour being over 20 percentage points ahead in the polls.

Yousaf’s comments, made in an interview with BBC journalist Laura Kuenssberg, focused on the looming general election.

The SNP are bracing themselves for losses to Labour and are war-gaming how they should respond to the campaign and a Starmer premiership.

Yousaf said the two goals of the election would be ending up as the biggest party in Scotland and making the country free of Tory MPs.

The SNP Government in Edinburgh has a dire relationship with the Conservative Government in London, but Yousaf signalled he wanted a reset under Starmer by revealing an invitation to talks:

He said he had disagreements with Labour, but insisted there are “plenty” of areas to work on together, such as combating child poverty:

“Keir Starmer should commit to, for example, lifting the two child limit.”

“Let’s scrap the bedroom tax.”

In his letter, he said the meeting would be an opportunity to improve “ways of working” between the Scottish and UK Governments, as well as exploring areas of shared interest:

“This would include my government’s position that the two-child limit and associated “rape clause” should be repealed.

“These measures prevent parents from claiming child tax credit or universal credit for a third or subsequent child.”

He added: “I would also wish to discuss the delivery of your proposed £28 billion Green Prosperity Plan. Scotland’s transition to Net Zero represents a huge economic opportunity for the country, but one which—with the current balance of reserved and devolved matters—will require action to be taken at pace by both governments.”

He also restated his commitment to independence, but said he would be willing to discuss “other constitutional matters” such as House of Lords reform:

“We may have political differences, but I do not think these should prevent us being able to work together, now and after the next UK general election.

“I hope you will accept this invitation to meet and that we can establish a working relationship in the interests of the people we represent.”

It comes as former SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford said his party should not compare Labour to the Tories in the campaign.

Blackford said the two parties are “absolutely” not the same.

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