London – Theresa May was heading to Scotland on
Friday in her first visit as Britain's new prime minister, stressing her bid to
maintain UK unity in the Brexit vote fall-out.
May was due in Edinburgh for talks with Scottish
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who has threatened another referendum on
Scottish independence following Britain's seismic vote to leave the European
Union.
May took office on Wednesday after David Cameron
stepped down as premier in the wake of the June 23 referendum.
She has set about culling his ministers – and stunned
world capitals by appointing the often undiplomatic Brexit spearhead Boris
Johnson as foreign secretary.
The referendum result sent shockwaves around the
world and sparked fears of an economic downturn as Britain potentially faces
exclusion from its biggest trading market – a key concern for Sturgeon.
A majority of voters in Scotland wanted Britain to
stay in the EU and nationalist leader Sturgeon sees this as a possible pretext
for another independence referendum.
Scots voted in September 2014 to remain part of the
United Kingdom, which has endured for three centuries.
In heading swiftly to Edinburgh, May, the new
leader of the centre-right Conservative and Unionist Party, would emphasise her
strong support for the union and affirm her commitment to keeping Sturgeon's
devolved administration involved in the Brexit negotiations, a Downing Street
spokesperson said.
May's UK unity concern
"I believe with all my heart in the United
Kingdom," May said in a statement.
"This visit to Scotland is my first as prime
minister and I'm coming here to show my commitment to preserving this special
union."
She told Scots her government would "always be
on your side".
"We are going to build a better Britain and a
nation that works for everyone – not just the privileged few," she added.
In the June 23 referendum, 52% of voters backed
leaving the EU, on a 72% turnout.
In Scotland, 62% voted for Britain to stay in, on a
67% turnout.
"We've got perhaps different views on what
should happen now in terms of the Brexit vote," said Sturgeon, who heads
the left-wing secessionist Scottish National Party.
"My job is to seek to protect Scotland's
interests," she told STV television.
May "has to make the process open and
flexible", she added.
Morning of the long knives
After six years as Cameron's interior minister, May
was viewed as a safe pair of hands to replace him, but began with a deep cull
of some of her former cabinet colleagues.
She sacked long-serving finance minister George
Osborne and Brexit-campaigning justice secretary Michael Gove – and gave
Johnson the diplomatic brief.
"Cabinet's Brexit bloodbath" the i
newspaper said on Friday.
"May's radical reshuffle stuns the old
guard", said The Guardian's front page.
It said May had shown steel, but it would
"count for little without clarity" about its purpose.
The Times said she had brought "instability at
the heart of her cabinet" by bringing in "several explosive
egos".
Controversy over Johnson's appointment overshadowed
the first full day of May's premiership.
US President Barack Obama called May to
congratulate her on Thursday, but White House spokesperson Josh Earnest offered
a tepid response to her choosing Johnson.
The "special relationship" between the
two countries "transcends any single personality", he said.
'Chilling effects' of Brexit
US Trade Representative Michael Froman said Brexit
opens new questions for negotiations over an ambitious transatlantic trade
treaty.
He said he has already contacted London officials
over how to organise US trade with Britain outside the EU.
European leaders have pressed May to move quickly
in implementing Brexit, amid fears of the damage the continued uncertainty
could do to the EU and the world economy.
New finance minister Philip Hammond warned Brexit
was having "chilling effects" on the financial markets and said
business investment decisions were being put on hold.
The Bank of England on Thursday held off on an
anticipated cut in interest rates, keeping them unchanged at 0.50%, but
signalled a possible cut next month.
Meanwhile the private family funeral of murdered MP
Jo Cox was to take place in her hometown constituency on Friday.
Cox was shot and stabbed during the referendum
campaign, which was suspended as a mark of respect for the "Remain"
supporter.
