Enda Kenny said he is "very sorry" the UK has voted to leave the EU

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has intervened on behalf of the Scottish government in their bid to stay in the European Union.

Mr Kenny said that Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon asked him to raise the Scottish referendum result - which saw people vote to remain in the EU by 62pc to 38pc- at last night's European Council meeting.

He said that he met Ms Sturgeon at the recent British Irish Council meeting in Glasgow and that she asked him in the case of an overall leave vote in the United Kingdom to raise her country's "very strong belief that they should not be dragged out of the European Union having voted to stay".

Mr Kenny said he spoke to her again yesterday and that "she wanted that repeated which I said on her behalf last evening".

He was meeting with the 27 other EU leaders, including British Prime Minister David Cameron who was there to officialy explain the Brexit vote to other EU member states.

Ms Sturgeon is in Brussels today where she met European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

She said she is there to "make sure Scotland's voice is being heard".

She said she welcomed Mr Kenny's intervention on behalf of Scotland and that she is "very grateful" to him.

"Ireland is a great friend to Scotland," she added.

Irish Independent

Independent.ie