Brexit freeports unveiled as Rishi Sunak hails freedom from EU for 'unleashing the potential 'of UK cities

Rishi Sunak has championed the UK’s potential after leaving the EU as he announced new Brexit freeports during a trip to Scotland.

The Prime Minister said that he wanted to work “constructively” with the Scottish Government as tension continues to rise over the SNP’s demands for a new referendum on independence.

He met with Nicola Sturgeon on Thursday, admitting that the pair were "not going to agree on everything", but that he believes there is scope for co-operation between the two parties.

He said: “What I want to do as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is work constructively with the Scottish Government to make a difference to people in Scotland."

"We've got lots of challenges that we all face collectively around the UK and where we can work together and make a difference, we should" he told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme.

Sunak and Sturgeon announced two new green freeports will be established in Inverness and Cromarty Firth and Firth of Forth.

Backed by up to £52million in UK Government funding, the new sites are expected to bring forward an estimated £10.8 billion of private and public investment and create more than 75,000 new, high-skilled jobs.

Sunak said: "In extending the benefits of freeports to Scotland, we are unleashing the potential of the Firth of Forth and Inverness and Cromarty Firth - backing the delivery of thousands of high-quality green jobs for future generations as we continue to make gains on our commitments to transition to net zero."

Scotland's Deputy First Minister John Swinney described it as a "milestone achievement in the process to deliver green freeports for Scotland".

Elsewhere, Sunak said the Supreme Court had made clear that the Scottish Government does not have the power to legislate for a new referendum without the agreement of Westminster.

"The Scottish Government took this case to the Supreme Court, which was completely clear about the ability of the Scottish Government to do that (hold a referendum) unilaterally," he said.

"What I want to do is have a constructive dialogue with the Scottish Government to make sure we can continue to deliver for the people of Scotland."