SCOTLAND – know your place. That was the message from Brexit secretary David Davis to the Scottish Government. Yesterday, his SNP counterpart in Edinburgh, Michael Russell, released a letter sent to him by Davis about the Scottish Government’s plans to stay in the single market.

In his missive Davis said there were “clear barriers” to the central proposition to leave Scotland in the single market after the rest of the UK had Brexited.

Scottish ministers had suggested Scotland could be part of the European Economic Area (EEA) or the European Free Trade Agreement (EFTA).

Last week Tory Scottish Secretary David Mundell had initially claimed the Scottish Government were refusing to make the Davis letter public, something the SNP strenuously rejected, saying the hesitation came entirely from London.

A spokesman for Russell said the Tories clearly didn’t want to release the letter as it showed how little they had engaged with Scotland.

Davis’s letter was dated March 29, the day Theresa May formally triggered Article 50.

In it, he writes that he was “disappointed that the Scottish Government has called for another referendum on independence before we were able to discuss the outcomes of this good work, that was entered into in good faith”.

He added: “Scotland’s accession to EFTA, and then the EEA, would not be deliverable and, importantly, would require the consent of all EFTA and EU member states.

“Any divergence between EU and UK law – as a result, perhaps, of new EU regulation – could lead to the creation of new barriers to trade within our union, which could take the form of additional controls and checks on trade within the United Kingdom.

“Given that trade with the rest of the UK is worth four times trade with the EU, I do not believe that such significant disruption to the internal UK market is in Scotland’s – or the UK’s – best interests. And Scotland’s businesses could face a confusing mix of regulatory regimes.”

Russell responded: “It is important to re-state the fundamental importance the Scottish Government places on membership of the European single market as distinct from the UK Government’s ambition of having access – or partial access – to this market.

“Scotland’s Place in Europe clearly sets out this distinction and the damage to Scotland’s economy and society that will occur if Scotland’s single market membership is jeopardised.

“In relation to the specific points you raise regarding the proposals, there is every reason to suggest that with the necessary political will and commitment these issues could have been addressed. Indeed there were no insurmountable issues raised in the engagement between officials that took place over the last two months.

“While we welcome your commitment to ‘close engagement with the Scottish Government and other devolved administrations’ we must reiterate our view that these should be meaningful, based on trust, openness and a genuine sharing of options and policy positions as well as data, and must give real opportunities to influence the process.”

The letters were published in correspondence between Russell and Holyrood’s Europe committee.

A memo leaked to The National earlier this year suggested the EU was open to the idea of Scotland remaining in the single market, but that this would need to be brought forward by the UK Government.

A spokesperson for Michael Russell said: “The UK Government has been desperate not to publish its own letter, and no wonder – it simply exposes how little Theresa May’s Tories have engaged with our proposals to keep Scotland in the single market.

“Their reckless pursuit of the hardest of hard Brexits directly threatens tens of thousands of Scottish jobs, as well as posing a danger to investment and our wider economy.”

Meanwhile, European Council president Donald Tusk told EU leaders that there will be no talk of a trade deal with the UK until the issues of “people, money and Ireland” had been settled. “Before discussing our future, we must first sort out our past,” Tusk wrote.

May had hoped to have talks on a future trade deal with the EU take place at the same time as divorce negotiations on Brexit.