Scotland Office minister: Why we will work with US president Donald Trump

Many UK politicians have been critical of Mr Trump in the past and senior figures in both Labour and the SNP backed his Democrat rival Kamala Harris in November's presidential election.

But after he won a convincing victory in both the popular vote and the electoral college, his inauguration as 47th president will take place in Washington DC on Monday afternoon.

Scotland Office minister and Midlothian MP Kirsty McNeill.

Ms McNeill, Labour MSP for Midlothian and deputy to Scottish Secretary Ian Murray, told "The Sunday Show" on BBC1: "The American public have made their choice, this UK government looks forward to working with President Trump as he takes office to make sure we advance the best interests of the people of Scotland."

On Mr Trump's threat to impose tariffs on goods exported from other countries to the United States, she said: "We will be working with the administration to advance the interests of the people of Scotland and we'll be making the case that tariffs are not in the best interests of the American public or indeed the Scottish ones. He's a pragmatist. This UK government is full of pragmatists too."

And asked at what point the government would draw the line, she said: "You have to have a relationship with the democratically elected, chosen leader of the most powerful economy on earth.

"We don't need to draw hard and fast binary rules, we need to pragmatically focus on the fact that he's coming to office, we're looking forward to working with him, we have to work with him as the chosen leader of our strongest and oldest ally.

"We have to work with him, we have to be pragmatic. The world is not as we might wish it to be. We can't get to design things exactly as we would want them to be, we have to work with the world as it is."

Lorna Slater, co-leader of the Scottish Greens and a Lothian MSP, told the same programme she was "terrified" by Mr Trump's presidency, describing him as "a clear and present danger" to the climate and "the whole world order".

She said she would support Scottish businesses to have good international relations. "But I think that's very different from supporting Donald Trump and his self-aggrandising image of where he sits in the world."

She said comments by First Minister John Swinney looked like "sucking up to Donald Trump".

And she asked: "Are we really going to let a billionaire who doesn't respect the rule of law, doesn't respect democracy or the peaceful transfer of power, be the person we admire and want his approval?"

Mr Swinney has told how he had a call from Mr Trump last month, in which he had expressed his enthusiasm for Scotland - his mother was born on Lewis. Mr Swinney said the incoming president was "very warm and positive".

And he continued: "If that [Trump's warmth for Scotland] means it helps it to avoid tariffs that might be damaging to legitimate and important, critical economic interests in Scotland, then don't be surprised if this first minister of Scotland uses that channel to try to secure that outcome."