Humza Yousaf has invited Sir Keir Starmer to Bute House for crunch talks about independence after assuming the Labour leader will become the next prime minister.

The First Minister said he was urging Sir Keir to “take a respectful approach” to his repeated calls for a second independence referendum, but believes the two can work together on other issues such as child poverty.

Earlier this month, the FM revealed that he spoke to Sir Keir in a chance meeting at COP28 and called on him to keep his promise for £28 billion of green investment if he wins the keys to Downing Street.

In a letter to the Labour leader, Mr Yousaf said differing political views should not “prevent us being able to work together”.

Read more: SNP urge Labour to boost capital spend as ministers brace for cuts

He wrote: “I hope you will accept this invitation to meet and that we can establish a working relationship in the interests of the people we represent.”

Speaking on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme, Mr Yousaf appealed to Sir Keir to work with the SNP on reducing child poverty and strengthening relations between the UK and Scottish governments.

He told the programme Sir Keir will “absolutely” be the next UK prime minister, and said he must tackle child poverty by committing to scrap the two-child benefit cap – which the Labour leader has previously not committed to.

The policy prevents parents from claiming child tax credits or universal credit for a third or subsequent child born after April 2017.

A so-called rape clause, which requires women to declare their child was conceived as a result of rape in order to maintain the benefits, should also be scrapped, the First Minister said.

Previously, Mr Yousaf said the SNP’s conditions of working with Labour would be Sir Keir paving the way for a future Scottish independence referendum.

In his letter, published on Sunday, the First Minister made clear independence is still a priority.

Read more: Yousaf open to 'reverse Tory austerity' in government with Starmer

He later told Ms Kuenssberg: “I’d like to speak to Keir Starmer as the man who will undoubtedly be the next prime minister.”

The First Minister told the programme that accepting his invitation for talks “would be the grown-up and responsible thing” for the Labour leader to do.

He added: “It will hardly be a surprise that what I speak to Keir Starmer …I will advocate for a second independence referendum.”

Mr Yousaf stressed that his party’s “mandate has been ignored over the years”.

He called on Sir Keir to listen to his calls for another say on the constitution.

The FM added: “I hope he will take a respectful approach to listening to Scotland’s voice.”

But the Scottish Government’s route for independence looks uncertain following the Supreme Court ruling that Holyrood cannot hold its own referendum on separation.

Neither the current UK Government nor an incoming Labour administration are going to accept calls for a re-run of the 2014 referendum, leaving the Scottish Government to focus on the case for separation instead of the practicalities of achieving the aim.

The First Minister rejected any suggestion that Scottish independence is on the back-burner.

Mr Yousaf added that along with aiming to “create the popular support” for separation, the SNP “have to win the general election” to “create the political conditions” to call for a referendum.

Read more: Keir Starmer could stop Holyrood being undermined

He told the BBC that an SNP victory in Scotland at the general election will “send a really strong message to Westminster that Scotland will not be ignored”.

In his letter to the Labour leader, the FM said: “My government is clear that Scotland’s future is as an independent country in the European Union, and that there is a democratic mandate for a referendum on independence which should be respected.

“I would also be keen to discuss other constitutional matters with you, including your proposals for the House of Lords and the implementation of the recommendations of Gordon Brown’s Commission on the UK's Future.”

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar later said he does not believe the independence debate will end if his party wins the election.

In an appeal to SNP voters, he told BBC Scotland’s The Sunday Show: “I think there’s still a raging debate in the country around the constitution, but that is not what this general election is going to be about.

“I’ve been really clear that I’m not going to turn my back, close my eyes, or shut my ears to any voter in the country, whether they voted Yes or No (to independence).

“I want to reach out to people across the country to say ‘I understand why so many people have wanted to run a million miles from this rotten Tory Government’.”

But Mr Sarwar refused to confirm that Labour will not use a potential surge in votes for Labour north of the Border at the general election as an indicator that support for the Union is strengthening. 

Asked whether his party will use a Labour win to “endorse the Union”, Mr Sarwar said: “No, because I want to persuade people that we can make Scotland work within a devolved settlement.”