Scotland leader demands more power from Britain

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon yesterday called for new tax and welfare powers to be devolved to Scotland as a "priority".

Sturgeon told the BBC such powers would allow the Scottish government to grow the economy.

She added that she had spoken "briefly" to Prime Minister David Cameron but more discussions were required.

Sturgeon also said her party now provided the main opposition at Westminster.

Labour, with 232 MPs, are the official opposition but Sturgeon claimed her party, which gained 50 MPs on Thursday, was the one putting pressure on Cameron's Conservative government.

The SNP is the third largest party in the UK despite only standing in Scotland.

It took 56 of the 59 seats in Scotland, reducing Labour to just one MP when they had previously had 41.

Speaking to the BBC's Andrew Marr programme, Sturgeon said Cameron did not appear to want to move beyond powers already outlined in the Smith Commission, which was formed after the independence referendum to fulfil the pledge to give Scotland further devolution.

Sturgeon described her party as the "principal opposition to the Conservatives".

She said she would seek to build alliances with others to stand up for "progressive politics".

Responding to former SNP leader Alex Salmond's comments on Saturday that following the party's landslide victory he thought Scotland was now closer to independence, Sturgeon said there was "no disagreement" between them.

She said: "I think Scotland will become an independent country one day." He said he thinks it will be in his lifetime, I hope that's the case."