Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to chair meeting of devolved leaders at new summit

Leaders from across the UK will gather in Scotland on Friday as Prime Minister Keir Starmer convenes the first Council of Nations and Regions.

The new body takes the place of joint ministerial councils, which previously operated and brought ministers from Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast together with UK government ministers.

First Minister John Swinney will attend Friday’s meeting with the first ministers of Wales and Northern Ireland and regional mayors from across England.

Starmer says the new body will be “a proper council” that forges new partnerships, resets relationships and seizes long-term investment opportunities.

He said: “I’m determined to bring forward a new era of stability, trust, and partnership with businesses, investors, devolved governments, and local leaders to boost the economy and restore the UK’s reputation as one of the best places in the world to do business.”

Top UK Government adviser Sue Gray, who left her role as No 10 chief of staff last weekend to act as an “envoy” to the nations and regions, will be a notable absence at the meeting of regional leaders as she takes a break before returning to work, it is understood.

Questions about the details of her role as envoy have mounted this week, with further information expected to be set out by the Cabinet Office shortly.

Downing Street rejected suggestions that she might clash with Cabinet ministers for the devolved nations in her new role.

Asked whether there was a risk of Gray’s new position clashing with those of the secretaries of state for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “No, no, not at all.

“They will work constructively and collaboratively within the existing set-up.”

Gray quit as chief of staff on Sunday, citing concerns that questions over her position were becoming a distraction.

There were reports of tensions in Number 10 involving Gray, including between her and Starmer’s chief adviser, Morgan McSweeney, who will succeed her in the role.

A long-serving civil servant before she joined Starmer’s top team in September 2023, Gray was thrust into the limelight in 2021 when she was tasked with investigating lockdown breaches reported in Downing Street.

Separately on Friday, Swinney will hold talks with Starmer ahead of the Council meeting.

Swinney said: “This meeting should be an opportunity to speak frankly about the big issues facing Scotland – and the UK – and to discuss the action required to deliver meaningful change.

“I hope to persuade the Prime Minister of the transformative potential of public sector investment to stop the austerity agenda and attract the type of long-term financial investment required to grow our economy and advance the sectors, and the jobs, of the future.

“The Scottish Government stands ready to work in partnership to ensure we are working together to make those opportunities a reality in line with the principles of devolution.

Friday’s Council takes place ahead of UK leaders, businesses and investors coming together at the first International Investment Summit on Monday.