Rishi Sunak’s first appearance at Prime Minister’s Questions since he was anointed Tory leader saw him dogged with accusations of “sleaze” and demands for a referendum.
The new Conservative boss clashed with rival party chiefs over controversial cabinet appointments and his plans to improve an ailing economy.
But beyond confrontational bluster, little appeared new for voters in Scotland as key questions remain over investment promises and the future of the union.
Here’s our glance at three key talking points from Mr Sunak’s first afternoon in the hot seat.
1 – No thaw with the SNP
Mr Sunak held a call with Nicola Sturgeon on Tuesday night and said it was “important” to ensure Holyrood and Westminster can work together “constructively”.
His more cooperative tone marked a shift away from his short-lived predecessor Liz Truss, who lived up to her promise to ignore the SNP leader entirely.
However, on the topic of a proposed second independence referendum next year the new prime minister adopted an identical stance to those who had gone before him.
In one exchange, Stirling SNP MP Alyn Smith declared he would “not be shouted down” by Tory MPs as he accused their boss of “denying democracy” in Scotland.
The new Tory leader insisted that the matter had already been settled in 2014 when the country rejected independence.
His government remains locked in a legal fight with the SNP at the Supreme Court over whether Ms Sturgeon can hold a fresh vote next year without UK Government permission.
2 – Is he committed to ‘levelling up’?
At first glance, the prime minister’s commitment to stick by Boris Johnson’s Levelling Up agenda will be welcome for north and north-east communities.
Aberdeen submitted a bid for £20 million in cash in the latest round of funding.
But Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer criticised Mr Sunak over a leaked recording from the summer where he boasted about diverting funds away from deprived areas.
The opposition chief said: “He pretends he’s on the side of working people, but in private he says something very different.”
It’s feared Mr Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt could unleash another wave of austerity on the country while the cost-of-living crisis rages on.
And key questions remain over when major spending initiatives from the UK Government in Scotland will be carried out.
After Ms Truss took power, the north-east, Cromarty Firth and Orkney were named as areas which could become low-tax “investment zones” – but it is still not known if the scheme will actually happen.
And while there are several north and north-east applications to gain low-tax freeport status, Mr Sunak’s party is dragging heels on announcing which bids have been successful, as we revealed.
Pledges to invest in Scotland could also spark further clashes with the SNP if Westminster is seen to be bypassing Holyrood.
3 – Return to ‘sleaze’ accusations
Just one day into his premiership, Mr Sunak has already sparked fury by reappointingof Suella Braverman as home secretary.
Ms Braverman was given the senior cabinet job despite quitting just six days before over a security breach.
Ian Blackford claimed Mr Sunak’s decision to choose her reeked of a “sleazy backroom deal to shore up his own position”.
He said: “Far from being a fresh start, this is a return to the sleaze and scandal and ghosts of cabinets past.”
While Mr Sunak will want to distance his administration from Boris Johnson, his jibes against rivals had echoes of the disgraced former prime minister.
Clashing with Sir Keir, the Tory chief attacked the Labour boss for previously supporting Jeremy Corbyn and accused him of being out-of-touch for “never leaving north London”.