Monday 24 October 2016 12:29 pm

Theresa May is set to shatter Nicola Sturgeon’s hopes of a Flexit deal that could protect Scottish Single Market access

Theresa May is set to spurn a call from Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon for a flexible Brexit deal to protect Scottish Single Market access.

May met with Sturgeon, alongside Welsh first minister Carwyn Jones and Northern Irish leaders Arlene Foster and Martin McGuinness this morning at Downing Street in the first session of the Joint Ministerial Committee for more than two years.

And ahead of the summit, Sturgeon wrote in the Financial Times this morning that the UK should seek a flexible deal, a so-called Flexit, to protect the interests of its nations.

"Scotland — which voted overwhelmingly to remain in Europe — must be able to secure a continuing close relationship with Europe, including membership of the Single Market," Sturgeon said.

However, May looks set to shatter those hopes, with Downing Street today reiterating that the UK must seek a "unified" approach to Brexit.

"We need to make sure we are not putting up barriers to trade within the UK," a spokeswoman for the Prime Minister said.

The reference to trade barriers represents a hint that although the official position remains that the UK will seek "the freest possible" trade with Europe, Downing Street is already resigned to some tariffs after Brexit.

And Downing Street also issued a warning against the leaders of devolved administrations entering into their own discussions with the EU.

Sturgeon, in particular, has been keen to build relationships with EU institutions since the Brexit vote, but No 10 today warned against such an approach.

"We have been very clear that we should be working together to secure the best possible deal for the whole of the country," May's spokeswoman said.

"We expect representatives of the devolved administrations to act in that way and to in no way undermine the UK's position."