PHILIP Hammond has told Nicola Sturgeon to get back in line and to stop “clutching at straws” over Europe, dismissing any possibility of Scotland getting a special deal on Brexit.

The Tory Chancellor made the comments ahead of a meeting with the First Minister and Scottish Government finance minister Derek Mackay yesterday afternoon. He told journalists it was “clear that we can’t have a different deal or different outcomes for different parts of the UK”.

Hammond’s comments, some of the strongest yet from a senior Tory, make the prospect of a second referendum on Scottish independence more likely.

At some point in the next four weeks, the Scottish Government are expected to share proposals they say would allow Scotland to remain in the single market, even if the rest of the UK leaves.

It’s understood they are currently considering applying to become part of the EEA, adopting the so-called Norway model. This, however, would require a serious transferring of powers over immigration and finance, from Westminster to Holyrood.

Last night, the First Minister’s spokesman insisted Hammond had said he would look at the proposals.

The Chancellor’s earlier comments, however, suggest he and the Government have already made up their mind.

“I know Scotland, like the rest of the United Kingdom, has important trading relationships with the rest of the European Union,” Hammond said, “but Scotland’s most important trading relationship is with the rest of the United Kingdom. That is four times more important to Scotland than its trading relationship with the rest of the European Union and it is not at all clear how being outside of the UK’s arrangements with the EU could in any way advantage Scotland.

“I would suggest it would be a disadvantage overall to Scotland.”

He added: “I look forward to us moving on from this slightly backward looking, clutching at straws, trying to resist the will of the people to embracing it, recognising it’s going to happen and committing to work together to make sure it’s done in a way that is most supportive of the UK economy and the Scottish economy.”

Sturgeon’s spokesman said: “The Chancellor said he looked forward to hearing our proposals on Scotland’s place in Europe, and that they will be considered fully by the UK Government – in line with the specific undertaking given to the First Minister by the Prime Minister when they met in Edinburgh in July. Those proposals, which we will publish in the coming weeks, will be aimed at securing Scotland’s place in the single market, which is vital for jobs, investment and our overall economic wellbeing.”

During First Minister’s Questions, Sturgeon had told MSPs: “I am absolutely consistent on the question of the single market: the United Kingdom should stay in the single market. There is no mandate or economic, social or cultural justification for taking the UK out of the single market. I will make that point to Philip Hammond this afternoon, as I have made that point to the Prime Minister. I hope that everybody in the Scottish Parliament will get behind the position of the Scottish Government on that.”

Labour Europe spokesman Lewis Macdonald said people in Scotland were being told nothing by either of their governments. “Tory Ministers are keen to say there has to be a single approach for the whole of the UK, but less keen to tell us what they are actually trying to achieve,” he said.

“We are also still in the dark about the Scottish Government’s plans, which is why the SNP must publish a comprehensive Brexit plan as soon as possible. We need full transparency from the Nationalists, otherwise people will simply conclude they are only interested in using Brexit to force another independence referendum on the people of Scotland. The UK is Scotland’s most important single market, which is why Labour will oppose any SNP plan for a second independence referendum. We will stand up for Scotland’s place in the UK.”