Nicola Sturgeon has been told she can't negotiate directly with Brussels

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Europe minister Sir Alan Duncan has insisted Westminster holds total control over Brexit, putting the final nail in the coffin of the SNP leader’s bid to directly negotiate with Brussels over Scotland’s future EU relationship.

Ms Sturgeon has called for Scotland to be handed a different Brexit outcome to the rest of the UK, setting out five ‘red lines’ for her country as Britain quits the bloc.

These include keeping freedom of movement and access to the single market, which have put her on a collision course with Prime Minister Theresa May’s vow to introduce EU migration controls.

The First Minister has threatened to push for another Scottish independence referendum if her demands are not met, while also suggesting the Holyrood parliament be given the final say over when Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty - the legal process of quitting the EU - is triggered by Mrs May.

But the Government has insisted a Brexit deal will be decided "for the UK as a whole”, with Westminster pulling the strings.