MICHAEL Gove was told to “go awa’ an’ bile his heid” in the Commons yesterday, as he attempted to explain why the UK Government is walking away from Brexit talks.

The SNP’s Pete Wishart made the remark, as he pushed the Chancellor of the Duchy Lancaster to “go off and get his No-Deal Brexit” and leave Scotland to “secure our independence”.

Gove told the Commons yesterday afternoon that talks between London and Brussels had “effectively ended”.

He told MPs that the EU had “refused to negotiate seriously for [the] last month or so”.

But with parliamentary timescales meaning there now effectively only four weeks left for talks, that decision to walk away has pushed the UK closer to a No-Deal Brexit.

As the Tory minister was speaking the EU offered to “intensify” negotiations, and promised to discuss fishing rights, one of the most contested parts of the talks.

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Michel Barnier tweeted: “As stated by President @vonderleyen on Friday, I confirmed that the EU remains available to intensify talks in London this week, on all subjects, and based on legal texts. We now wait for the UK’s reaction.”

Gove told MPs: “Even while I have been at the dispatch box it has been reported that there has been a constructive move on the part of the EU and I welcome that.”

He added: “Obviously we need to work on the basis of the proposed intensification they propose. And I prefer to look forward in optimism than look back in anger.”

However, he said the preparations for No Deal were “now intensifying”.

Responding for the SNP, Wishart said: “The coveted No Deal is now within touching distance. The dance of the No Deal seven veils is now down to its Brexit underwear.”

He described the government as “clown shoe-wearing goalpost shifters”.

Wishart added: “The minister somehow expects Scotland to go along with this disaster. Well there is a saying that he will know as a proud Scot, which will be Scotland’s response to this: he can go awa’ an’ bile his heid.

“Independence is now the settled will of the Scottish people, with 58% of Scots now in favour, so here is a proposition for the minister: why does he not just go off and get his No-Deal Brexit if that is what England indeed wants, and in Scotland we can now secure our independence – what our people want – which will allow us to design our own future European relationship?”

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Gove was also criticised by his old boss, Theresa May, who was caught describing post-Brexit policing plans as “utter rubbish”.

May told the Commons that “the government appears resigned to the prospect of No Deal, yet one area which they should not be resigned to the prospect of No Deal is in security”.

She asked Gove to confirm that “if the UK walks away with No Deal then our police and law enforcement agencies will no longer have the necessary access to databases, such as [passenger name records], in order to continue to identify and catch criminals and potential terrorists in order to keep us safe?”

Gove said “significant progress” has been made over security cooperation.

The ex-Prime Minister was caught on camera grimacing and mouthing an incredulous “what?” A PA reporter in the Commons press gallery said that the ex-Tory leader – who used to claim that No Deal was better than a bad deal – had also appeared to mouth “utter rubbish” while Gove was speaking.