British Prime Minister Theresa May met Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in a Glasgow hotel on March 27.
May’s spokesman said the prime minister hoped to discuss areas where she believes Westminster and Scotland can find agreement and move forward without Scotland holding a second independence referendum.
Sturgeon is pressing for a second referendum in the second half of 2018 or early 2019 before Brexit in March, but May has told her, “Now is not the time.”
Earlier, May said unity was crucial to Britain winning a good divorce deal from the EU in talks that she will formally begin on March 29.
This was the first meeting since May blocked Scotland’s bid for independence from the U.K. as May prepares to leave the EU.
Scotland’s devolved assembly resumes on March 28 and is expected to give Sturgeon authority to demand a second referendum.
May is battling to keep the United Kingdom together after Britain’s vote to leave the EU revealed deep divisions, with England and Wales voting for Brexit, while Scotland and Northern Ireland supported staying in the bloc.
She wants to try to stem demands in Scotland for a new independence referendum that could rip apart the world’s fifth largest economy and encourage nationalists in Northern Ireland to follow suit.
In an independence referendum in 2014, Scotland voted against breaking away by 55 to 45 percent
