Labour backs SNP in bid to save Scotland’s place in single market

The Prime Minister’s Brexit plan will end the UK’s role in the EU in the “hardest and most clear way possible”, MSPs were told.

Fiona Hyslop, the external affairs secretary, called on Holyrood to back the SNP Government’s bid to keep Scotland in the single market.

She said her party will seek a “differentiated option” for Scotland after Theresa May flatly rejected the prospect of staying in the free trade area.

At Holyrood last night, Labour and the Greens helped pass an SNP motion, as amended by Labour, which said that “alternative approaches within the UK should be sought that would enable Scotland to retain its place within the single market”.

Ms Hyslop earlier warned: “If our attempts at agreeing a compromise are rejected, then it is vital that we continue to have other options available to us, including that of a referendum on independence.”

Last month, Nicola Sturgeon put forward a range of options to maintain Scotland’s EU status after 62% of voters in the country backed Remain.

That includes keeping the UK in the single market, which was ruled out by the PM yesterday.

Scottish Tory Dean Lockhart, said the SNP leader’s own experts have said her proposals for separate arrangements for Scotland would be “extremely difficult to implement”.

Lewis Macdonald, the Labour MSP, acknowledged the importance of the EU to Scotland but said the “single market of the UK is even more important to our vital interests”.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said the Tories are “hellbent” on a hard Brexit, but said independence would only add fresh “chaos”.

Ross Greer, of the Scottish Greens, said a second independence referendum now “looks unavoidable”.

Fiona Hyslop has said it is vital Scotland has other options, including an independence referendum.