Cameron In Scotland For Showdown With Sturgeon

David Cameron is visiting Scotland today for showdown talks with Nicola Sturgeon just a week after his stunning Tory election victory and the SNP's landslide north of the border.

Although the Prime Minister and Scotland's First Minister spoke briefly at last weekend's VE Day ceremonies in London, it will be their first official face-to-face meeting since the election.

It comes after bitter clashes in the election campaign, in which the SNP leader spoke of "locking Mr Cameron out of Downing Street" and he claimed she would be pulling Ed Miliband's strings.

The Conservatives' outright victory suggests voters in England were heavily swayed by attacks on the SNP's left-wing agenda, but the nationalists' anti-austerity message destroyed Labour in Scotland.

Today the two leaders are likely to clash on economic policy, the EU, Trident (BSE: TRIDENT.BO - news) nuclear weapons, the SNP's demands for more power over tax and spending in Scotland and the prospects for a second referendum on independence.

But Mr Cameron will pledge that UK Government will press ahead with new devolution powers for Scotland and that legislation will be announced in the Queen's Speech later this month.

He will say it is important that both of Scotland's governments work together to deliver for the people of Scotland and the whole of the UK as part of the Conservatives' One Nation agenda.

Mr Cameron will claim the new Scotland Bill will bring together the powers agreed by political parties in talks last year, and will see an unprecedented rise in the powers of the Scottish Parliament.

But the SNP leader, whose party won 56 seats in Westminster last week, will attack the Tories' plans for more cuts in welfare and demand more powers for the Scottish government to set its own budgets and taxes.

The Prime Minister will say: "I am here today to underline my commitment to our United Kingdom and Scotland's important place within it.

"That means remaining true to the promise we made to implement the all-party Smith agreement to make Scotland one of the most accountable and powerful devolved parliaments in the world.

"It also means recognising those things which unite us in these islands: the achievements we have made together, the institutions we have built together, our great social history, the common economic challenges we face today, and the strength which comes from pulling together for the common good in the future. This is our One Nation agenda in action.

"Scotland has two governments and it is the duty of the First Minister and myself to respect each other's roles and responsibilities and to work together for the benefit of all the people of Scotland.

"As more powers are devolved to Scotland, it is time to move beyond the debate about processes and focus on those bread-and-butter issues that affect every family in our United Kingdom – jobs, homes, good schools and strong public services, and dignity and respect in retirement.

"These are the building blocks we need to provide a brighter future for people in every part of our country."