SNP minister welcomes 'new era'

An SNP minister from the Scottish executive has met with a UK minister for the first time since May's elections to the Edinburgh parliament.

Scotland's rural and environmental affairs secretary Richard Lochhead said Wednesday's meeting with local environment minister Ben Bradshaw heralds "a new era" of relations between Holyrood and Westminster.

It follows a letter from the environment secretary in which David Miliband highlighted the need to strengthen the relationship between Scotland and the UK "in areas of mutual interest".

Nationalist MSP Lochhead cited the Scottish government's "positive policy agenda" regarding fisheries, which includes better representation for Scotland in the EU.

Speaking ahead of a fisheries council meeting next week, he said: "I am confident that in my first meeting with Mr Bradshaw, minister of state with responsibilities for fisheries, we can start to build positively with recognition of each other's perspectives."

Lochhead added: "Dialogue is about listening, not just talking. I look forward to cordial and constructive discussion from the outset."