The Prime Minister has phoned Nicola Sturgeon to congratulate her after the SNP won a third victory in the Scottish Parliament election as the Scottish Conservatives became the second-largest party at Holyrood.
After a night of gains across Scotland, the Tories recorded their best-ever result by securing 31 MSPs to overtake Labour while Ms Sturgeon’s party won 63 of the 129 seats, failing to win a second overall majority.
David Cameron spoke to the SNP leader on Friday morning and it was agreed the two governments would work together “constructively” – with a focus on the steel industry, a Number 10 spokesman said.
Mr Cameron had earlier congratulated Ruth Davidson, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, on the “historic result”, saying she would “stand up to the SNP and give Scotland strong opposition”.
A Downing Street spokesman said: “The Prime Minister congratulated Ms Sturgeon on her party having the largest representation in the Scottish Parliament and, in return, Ms Sturgeon congratulated the Prime Minister on the gains made in Scotland by his party.
“The Prime Minister and Ms Sturgeon agreed that the UK and Scottish governments must continue to work together constructively, most crucially in the short-term on the future of the steel industry.
“It was noted that the two governments sharing information and experience could be of benefit to the steel industry across the UK and they agreed to keep in touch on this issue.”
Scottish Secretary David Mundell, who is the only Conservative MP in Scotland, echoed Mr Cameron’s comments.
He said: “I congratulate Nicola Sturgeon on her success in the election and I look forward to working with her over the next four years.
“With the Smith Commission delivered in full, and the Scottish Parliament set to get a raft of significant new powers, we have a real opportunity for our two governments to work together for the benefit of the people of Scotland.”
Among the party’s major gains was Ms Davidson winning the Edinburgh Central constituency from the SNP and deputy leader Jackson Carlaw taking the Eastwood constituency on the outskirts of Glasgow from Labour’s Ken Macintosh.
Two Tory MSPs were elected in Glasgow, where academic Adam Tomkins and food retail manager Annie Wells picked up seats.
The SNP’s Dennis Robertson lost his Aberdeenshire West seat to the Conservatives while Oliver Mundell – son of the Scottish Secretary – captured the Dumfriesshire constituency from Labour.
The Tories’ previous best result at Holyrood was 18 MSPs, a total the party achieved in both 1999 and 2003.
