Nicola Sturgeon is to call for the UK to stay within the single market and, if that is not possible, for Scotland to stay there, in a package of Brexit demands due to be unveiled tomorrow.
The Scotland-only option would mirror the relationship that Norway has with the EU.
Days after the Brexit result, Ms Sturgeon announced the creation of the Standing Council on Europe to advise on the best ways of maintaining Scotland’s links with Europe.
Almost six months after the vote, the group, which includes specialists in legal, financial, business and diplomatic matters, has concluded its work. Ms Sturgeon will use the group’s findings as the basis of a specifically Scottish response to Brexit.
David Mundell, the Scottish secretary, said: “We’ll consider the Scottish government’s proposals carefully.
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“I hope to see plans that are credible and backed up by evidence. I also hope they commit to working closely with us — in a Team UK approach — to get the best possible deal. That is how we will get the right deal for the whole of the UK — and the right deal for the UK will be the right deal for Scotland.”