First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been accused of using “really dangerous” language and “stoking grievance” after she declared in an interview that she “detests” the Tories.

Her inflammatory choice of words prompted criticism from across the party spectrum amid wider concerns about attacks on politicians.

Political journalist Laura Kuenssberg asked Ms Sturgeon whether she would regard Conservative party leader and Prime Minister Liz Truss as a friend or foe.

“I would like to be a friend in the areas where we can work constructively,” she replied.

Asked whether she would prefer Ms Truss or Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister, she said: “If the question to me is whether I would prefer a Labour government over a Tory government… I detest the Tories and everything they stand for.”

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Nadhim Zahawi, who was interviewed after the SNP leader, said: “We don’t want to see Keir Starmer with Nicola Sturgeon, who now talks about detesting the Conservatives. I think that language is really dangerous.

“I prefer to work with my colleagues in Scotland on delivering the freeports, the greenports, as I want to do with John Swinney and others.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat Leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “This is a very tense moment in Scottish politics, and we have seen examples this year alone of where that tension has boiled over in an unpleasant way.

“We could do with our political leaders showing some more care over their language and focussing on putting the challenges facing the people of Scotland first.”

Tory MSP Donald Cameron added: “Nicola Sturgeon should be more careful and respectful in the language she uses.

“Responsible politicians should be able to disagree without resorting to inflammatory language about hating their opponents.

“By saying she detests the Conservatives and everything we stand for, she is, by inference, insulting the 630,000-plus Scots who voted for us at last year’s Scottish Parliament elections.

“Her comments also undermined her own claim moments earlier that she wanted to ‘work constructively’ with the Prime Minister.

“It’s clear she has no wish to cooperate with the UK Government and will, instead, stoke grievance at every opportunity.”