London, Edinburgh to strengthen cooperation on security

British Prime Minister David Cameron and First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon agreed on Monday to strengthen cooperation on security and the anti-terror drive.

Cameron's official office said he met with Sturgeon at 10 Downing Street on Monday to discuss security and intelligence matters.

"This will result in even closer liaison, helping to ensure that people in Scotland and the rest of the UK are protected from the threat of Daesh-inspired terrorism," Downing Street said in a statement after the meeting.

Under the changes agreed during the meeting, the British Joint Terrorism Analysis Center in London will increase the number of reports it shares with the Scottish government, and the Scottish first minister will receive security briefings on a more frequent basis.

"The Prime Minister and the First Minister enjoyed a constructive meeting and much progress was made on security and intelligence cooperation, particularly around the sharing of information to help counter the terrorist threat across the country," Britain's Scotland Office Minister Andrew Dunlop said.

"The UK government is absolutely committed to working together with the governments of our devolved nations on security and counter-terrorism matters, and today's discussions reflected that," he added.

During the meeting, Cameron also called upon Sturgeon for the support of her Scottish National Party (SNP) on security related matter.

They also discussed Scotland's new fiscal framework and the financial rules that will determine Scottish Parliament's new tax and welfare powers.

According to Britain's legislative agenda, the devolved Scottish government is set to gain major new powers from Westminster, Downing Street said. Endit