Boris Johnson has threatened to block Nicola Sturgeon from attending a UN summit on climate change in Glasgow.
The prime minister looks to be on a collision course with the Scottish First Minister after telling Tory activists on Sunday night he did not want her “anywhere near” the COP26 event next year.
A spokeswoman for the FM hit back calling Johnson “childish” while SNP MP Joanna Cherry called the PM “a bad loser”.
The UN summit will see more than 30,000 delegates from around the world descend on the Scottish city to discuss how to tackle the ongoing global climate emergency.
It is not clear that the British prime minister has any power to stop the FM from from attending.
The SNP-led government in Holyrood has made climate change a key plank of its policy agenda and Johnson’s bid to refuse Sturgeon a seat at the table is likely to enrage the FM.
According to The Scottish Sun, Johnson told activists at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester he wanted to see Union flags at the event and just “a Saltire or two”.
He said: “The leaders of the entire world will come to Glasgow for the COP26 climate change summit.
“I guess I don’t mind seeing a Saltire or two on that summit but I want to see a union flag - I don’t want to see Nicola Sturgeon anywhere near it.
“The Scottish Nationalist Party didn’t secure that summit in Glasgow, it was the United Kingdom government.”
A spokeswoman for the FM told HuffPost UK Johnson had proved himself “incapable” of tackling climate change, adding: “Boris Johnson certainly sounded like he was enjoying himself at the Tory drinks reception – but out in the real world people will be deeply embarrassed to hear their Prime Minister acting so childishly.
“It is right that COP26 should come to Scotland given our leadership in climate action – we were one of the first countries in the world to acknowledge the global climate emergency and the Scottish Government has introduced the toughest targets in the UK and amongst the toughest legislative targets in the world to ensure our action matches the scale of our climate ambitions.
“When it comes to issues of common concern such as climate change, the SNP Government are proud to play our part and work in partnership with other governments – something that Boris Johnson seems completely incapable of doing.”
Edinburgh South West MP Joanna Cherry QC, who led attempts in the Court of Session to defeat the government’s case for proroguing parliament, said: “Boris Johnson is a bad loser.
“He’s obviously very sore that it was Scottish politicians through the Scottish courts who thwarted his attack on parliamentary democracy. I’m sure the international delegates attending the climate change summit will be far more interested in hearing from the lead of the Scottish Government given its leading record on climate change.
“Indeed, I would be surprised if he’s still around by then.”
It comes just days after Sturgeon slammed the Prime Minister for his “violent” language following yet another heated debate on Brexit in the Commons on Wednesday.
Johnson was criticised for dismissing MPs’ concerns about their safety as “humbug” and for saying that the best way to honour the late Jo Cox is to “get Brexit done”.
Ex-Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson stood down in August, the day after Johnson announced he would prorogue parliament.
Since then, polls then have pointed to them losing potentially every one of their 13 MPs at the next election.
The shutdown of parliament was later ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court.