THERESA May will give a speech vowing never to allow the UK to become “looser and weaker” ahead of meeting Nicola Sturgeon on a visit to Scotland.

The Prime Minister is heading north of the border a day before the Scottish Parliament is expected to pass a vote in favour of seeking a new Scottish independence referendum and two days before she triggers the UK’s divorce process from the European Union.

Mrs May will use a visit to the East Kilbride base of the UK’s Department for International Development to set out her aim of building a global Britain with a strong union as a major player on the world stage.

She is expected to tell staff that their work helping crisis hit areas around the world “says that we are a big country that will never let down, or turn our back on, those in need”.

She will say: “And that is important to remember.

“For we stand on the threshold of a significant moment for Britain as we begin the negotiations that will lead us towards a new partnership with Europe.

“And I want to make it absolutely clear as we move through this process that this is not, in any sense, the moment that Britain steps back from the world.

“Indeed, we are going to take this opportunity to forge a more global Britain. The closest friend and ally with Europe, but also a country that looks beyond Europe to build relationships with old friends and new allies alike.”

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