RUTH Davidson has warned Theresa May she would not accept the UK crashing out of the EU with no deal and said she would oppose any agreement she considers damaging to Scotland’s interests.

The Scottish Conservative leader said it was “certainly” possible she could reject the Government’s eventual Brexit trade policy and pledged to fight against a ‘no deal’ Brexit, which would mean reverted to World Trade Organisation (WTO) tariffs. The declaration puts her at odds with May’s insistence that she would be prepared to walk away from the negotiating table because no deal would be better than a bad deal.

She also accused Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson of walking a “fine line” in his speech last week setting out his vision for a post-Brexit future.

Davidson campaigned against the UK’s departure from the EU and warned that any deal on future relations with the Brussels bloc must be right for British business.

She told ITV’s Peston show: “What I want is to make sure that we’ve got a comprehensive free trade agreement with the EU, that we’re able to – in the Prime Minister’s words – trade with and operate within, to the maximum possible extent, the single market

“I think that’s right for Scottish businesses, for UK businesses, but I also accept the idea that if we are going to leave the EU, then as well as getting a trade deal with the EU we should be able to get trade deals with other countries too.”

Asked if it was possible that she may not support a policy reached by the UK cabinet on future EU relations, Davidson said: “Certainly. falling out on WTO (World Trade Organisation) rules would not be something that I think would be to the benefit of my constituents here in Edinburgh or in the country as it is.”

WTO rules on trade would mean costly tariffs on the import and export of goods between the UK and EU. This is widely seen as being a drag on economic growth.

However, she insisted such a “no deal” scenario is unlikely.

“Nobody, whether a Remainer like me or a Leaver like Boris wants to see lorries stacked up at Dover,” she said.

Studies by both the Scottish and UK Governments have warned that the economy and jobs will be hit under any Brexit scenario. They warned that leaving without a deal would see GDP fall by between 8.5 per cent to nine per cent in Scotland by 2030, and that even in the best situation, where the UK remained in the single market, it would fall by around 2.5 per cent over the same period.

Davidson does not have a formal role in the UK Government’s Brexit policy negotiating team. But in yesterday’s interview she insisted she has been ensuring that Scotland’s position is being heard.”