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The Tory Government came under fire yesterday for trying to pass the buck to Scots facing a no-deal Brexit “nightmare”.

Theresa May’s deputy David Lidington admitted failure to reach agreements with the EU would leave SNP ministers having to pick up the pieces in areas of devolved responsibility.

But he insisted Scottish independence would be even worse than crashing out of Europe.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “A no-deal Brexit would be an unmitigated disaster – and the fact that the UK Government are even talking about it is evidence of their abject failure.

“That they once had the nerve to tell us that independence threatened our place in Europe adds insult to injury. Scotland deserves better.”

Lidington, who was in Edinburgh yesterday, said it was up to administrations in Scotland and Wales to work on plans for devolved areas after Brexit if Tories fail to strike a deal.

(Image: PA)

He added: “I don’t think this is a shock to the devolved governments.

“They know they have these responsibilities. In most cases, they already published their ideas about how they would propose post-Brexit to develop these areas.”

Lidington was speaking as the UK Government published 24 papers detailing contingencies if Britain crashes out of the EU without a deal.

Concerns remain about delays in getting medical supplies, lost pensions for UK citizens in other European countries, the Irish peace process and increased costs for consumers and companies.

Lidington admitted UK Government officials had to be told to pay attention to devolution when drafting technical notes.

He said: “I accept there needs to be continuing awareness in Whitehall about the fact we are operating in a constitution where significant areas of policy delivery are devolved in Scotland and Wales.

“Departments need to be alive to that in their drafting and consultation processes.”

Despite the looming chaos of a no-deal Brexit, Lidington claimed that staying in the UK will be better for Scotland than independence.

He added: “The merits of the union of the United Kingdom are still very powerful, regardless of the outcome to the European negotiations.”

(Image: PA)

A spokesman for Scottish Government Brexit Minister Michael Russell said: “The UK Government’s Brexit preparations are an unmitigated shambles – and attempting to subcontract the issues around a no-deal outcome are just part of that.

“The Scottish Government will always act responsibly and that includes planning as best we can for all exit possibilities, even though we continue to call on the UK Government to immediately rule out a disastrous no-deal Brexit.

“But our ability to prepare has been hampered at every turn by an arrogant UK Government who treat the realities of devolution as an afterthought as best.”

Labour MP Lesley Laird , the Shadow Scottish Secretary, said: “It has taken the Tory Government over two years to come clean to the people of this country about the disastrous implications of a no-deal Brexit.

“This is a position that Theresa May backed herself into when she claimed no deal is better than a bad deal. It was a fallacy then and still is.”