Nicola Sturgeon has cancelled a planned trip to New York to attend a series of events at the United Nations.
The First Minister had been expected to attend climate week, which begins on the same day as the Queen's funeral. The event takes places on the fringes of the UN's general assembly and will see leaders fly in from around the world. The cancellation was first reported in The Times.
The paper reported the decision to scrap the trip had been taken before the Queen's death. It would have been the SNP leader's second trip to the United States in four months if it had gone ahead.
Sturgeon was invited to speak at the respected Brookings Institution while visiting Washington DC. But the trip was criticised by opposition leaders at Holyrood. Before that visit, Sturgeon said: "The SNP ’s opponents try to delegitimise the Scottish government’s international engagement,” she said.
“But the reality is that Scottish ministers have been making international visits like this since the start of the devolution era, long before my party took office.
“Promoting our country overseas should, quite simply, be seen as part of the job for whoever the government of the day happens to be.”
Her comments came after the Tories branded the trip an “indy tour” and accused the First Minister of promoting independence abroad at taxpayers’ expense.
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