Theresa May will pledge to 'build a more united nation' post-Brexit

Theresa May will vow to "build a more united nation" outside the European Union in a speech before she meets Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

The Prime Minister is travelling to Scotland a day before Holyrood is expected to back Ms Sturgeon's call for a new Scottish independence referendum - and two days before Mrs May triggers Article 50.

She is expected to tell staff at the East Kilbride base of the UK's Department for International Development that their work helping crisis hit areas around the world "says that we are a big country that will never let down, or turn our back on, those in need".

She will say: "And that is important to remember. For we stand on the threshold of a significant moment for Britain as we begin the negotiations that will lead us towards a new partnership with Europe.

"And I want to make it absolutely clear as we move through this process that this is not, in any sense, the moment that Britain steps back from the world.

"Indeed, we are going to take this opportunity to forge a more global Britain.

"The closest friend and ally with Europe, but also a country that looks beyond Europe to build relationships with old friends and new allies alike."

She will add: "UK Aid is a badge of hope for so many around the world.

"It appears on the side of buildings, school books, medical supplies and food parcels in some of the toughest environments and most hard-to-reach countries on the planet.

"And it says this: that when this great union of nations, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, sets its mind on something and works together with determination, we are an unstoppable force.

"That is why the Plan for Britain I have set out, a plan to get the right deal for Britain abroad as well as a better deal for ordinary, working people at home, has as its heart one over-arching goal: to build a more united nation.

"Because I believe when we work together, there is no limit to what we can do."

The Prime Minister will have a bilateral meeting with Ms Sturgeon later on Monday.

She will also meet Police Scotland officers to discuss counter-terrorism issues in the wake of the Westminster terror attack.

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