The following joint statement has been issued following a meeting on Wednesday between Wendy Alexander MSP, Annabel Goldie MSP and Nicol Stephen MSP.

“This was a constructive meeting among the Scottish Leaders of the three parties committed to a strong Scotland within a strong United Kingdom.

“The character of the meeting was exploratory about taking forward a mature and reflective discussion on strengthening devolution. There is complete agreement about this discussion progressing within the framework of the United Kingdom.

“The next step is engaging with our UK colleagues at Westminster and to that end we propose to meet jointly with Des Browne, David Mundell and Alistair Carmichael.”