UK's May cool on second Scotland independence bid

New British Prime Minister Theresa May on Friday appeared to rule out any second referendum on Scottish independence after meeting Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon for talks in the wake of the Brexit vote.

Sturgeon has said that Scotland's future has been jeopardised by the decision to leave in June's referendum as a majority of the country voted to remain. She has said that another referendum on Scottish independence was "on the table" in the wake of the Brexit vote.

Speaking after the meeting May said Scotland sent a "very clear message" in 2014 when it voted against independence.

"I'm willing to listen to options and I've been very clear with the first minister today that I want the Scottish government to be fully engaged in our discussion."

Sturgeon welcomed May's willingness to "consider any options that the Scottish government now bring forward to secure Scotland's relationship with the European Union, that the process that now takes shape by the UK government will be open and flexible, and that the Scottish government will be fully involved in that".

"I have been very clear that we have to make sure that Scotland's interests are protected and I want to examine every option of doing that."

May said there would no movement on triggering Article 50, which starts the formal exit process, until the UK had "an approach and objectives for negotiations".

Sturgeon said it would be "inconceivable for any prime minister to seek to stand in the way of a referendum if that is what the Scottish Parliament voted for, and we have heard from other Conservative politicians in the past few weeks that that would be the wrong thing to do as well".

"So I work on the basis that trying to block a referendum, if there's a clear sense that that's what people in Scotland want, would be completely the wrong thing to do," she added.