Nicola Sturgeon has met Rishi Sunak for the first time since he became prime minister.
Scotland’s first minister said the meeting was “cordial and constructive” despite the pair having “profound political disagreements”.
She said they discussed the cost of living crisis, the NHS and her desire for a second Scottish independence referendum.
Mr Sunak called on political leaders to unite to tackle shared challenges.
The talks were held in Blackpool ahead of a meeting of the British-Irish Council.
Ms Sturgeon said: “It is good to be able to sit down with the prime minister, as I used to do with Rishi Sunak’s predecessors, and to talk through issues that we are all grappling with.”
Rising inflation and the cost of living crisis were among topics on the agenda.
Mr Sunak said: “The economic challenges we face are similar, whether you are in Belfast or Dublin, Swansea or Edinburgh or indeed Yorkshire.
“So I thought it was important to come here, talk to other leaders about how we can relentlessly focus on coming together to serve the people that we represent across all these islands.”
Afterwards, he used Twitter to say it was “great to meet” Ms Sturgeon and Mark Drakeford, the first minister of Wales.
“Teamwork, absolute focus and collective effort will be required to deal with the shared challenges faced by people across the UK,” Mr Sunak added.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove were also involved in the discussions.