Sturgeon tells PM that withdrawal bill is not acceptable in current form

Nicola Sturgeon has told Theresa May that the EU Withdrawal Bill is not acceptable to the Scottish Government in its current form.

Speaking after talks at 10 Downing Street, the Scottish First Minister said that no agreement on the way forward for Brexit was reached, but held out prospects of differences being ironed out in the weeks to come.

The devolved administrations of both Scotland and Wales have branded the legislation - which began its committee stage in the House of Commons on Tuesday - a “power grab'', as it would return responsibilities in areas such as agriculture from Brussels to London.

Downing Street said that the Prime Minister told Ms Sturgeon that her priority was “to provide certainty to businesses and people both in Scotland and across the country, as well as protecting our UK internal market''.

The Scottish First Minister characterised the 45 minutes of talks as “constructive and cordial''.

But she added: “I made very clear, as the Scottish Government has done consistently, that the Withdrawal Bill as it stands would not be acceptable and we would not be able to recommend approval of that.

“That remains the position, but hopefully having had the opportunity to air the concerns that we have in more detail, we will be able to see progress in the weeks to come.

Ms Sturgeon added: “While we didn't reach agreement, I think we developed a better understanding of each others' positions.

“I made clear that the Scottish Government wants to find agreement on the Withdrawal Bill. We oppose Brexit but we understand withdrawal legislation is necessary, so we want to find agreement.

“But I also made clear what our bottom lines are on that Bill. Discussions will continue and hopefully we can reach some points of agreement in the weeks to come.'