THERESA May has knocked back Nicola Sturgeon’s attempt for Scotland to have a special status within the European Union as the UK leaves it.

No 10 indicated that Scotland would not have a separate deal on membership of the European single market nor would it have new powers over immigration.

The rebuff came as Downing Street made clear the Prime Minister had full confidence in her chancellor, Philip Hammond, after reports of a cabinet split with pro-Brexit ministers complaining their colleague was taking a too strong soft Brexit line.

A week before the first crunch Brexit meeting between Mrs May and the First Minister in London, the PM’s spokeswoman was asked if she believed it was in any way feasible for one part of the UK to remain in the single market while the others left.

The spokeswoman explained that Mrs May had been clear that the UK Government wanted to “involve the devolved administrations of the United Kingdom as we prepare for the negotiations but this was a decision taken by the people of the United Kingdom. We are members as the United Kingdom and that is how we will approach leaving”.

She stressed how the PM wanted to “hear people’s concerns and engage with stakeholders, the devolved governments, on those; but whether it is Northern Ireland, Wales or Scotland or England, this will be an approach of the United Kingdom,” she insisted.

Asked if it was feasible for Scotland, as suggested by the First Minister, to have powers over immigration as part of a bespoke Scottish package, the spokeswoman replied: “There is a very clear delineation between the issues that are reserved and issues that are devolved. What the Prime Minister does want to do is to work constructively with partners across the UK to secure the best deal for it as we leave the EU.”

When asked if it would therefore continue to be the case that those matters that were reserved and devolved would continue to be so, the spokeswoman indicated agreement, saying: “The PM would need to be convinced of the reasons as to why we should change that approach and what we should be focusing on at the moment and prioritising is how we work together to get the best deal for the United Kingdom as we leave the European Union.”

Asked if Mrs May was open or close-minded about granting Scotland a special status, the spokeswoman replied: “We will need to look at the specifics of what those would be. The PM is focused on how do we come together, work together to get the best deal for Britain and the United Kingdom as we leave the EU.”

During the SNP’s annual conference in Glasgow, Ms Sturgeon made clear she would do everything in her power to keep Scotland within the single market and avoid a so-called hard Brexit.

She suggested that formal proposals would be put forward whereby Scotland would have additional powers on issues such as immigration and international trade; indeed, the FM announced a plan to appoint more Scottish trade envoys.

Next Monday’s meeting of the Joint Ministerial Council will also involve the devolved governments of Northern Ireland and Wales. One fraught issue is what happens to the border between Northern Ireland and the Irish republic, which is a member of the EU, when the UK leaves.

The governments in London and Dublin have made clear their desire to retain an open border and not to return to the hard border of the past.

Meantime, No 10 made clear Mrs May has "full confidence" in Philip Hammond as chancellor amid reports some Cabinet colleagues are becoming frustrated as his support for a "soft Brexit".

Mr Hammond was said to have angered pro-Brexit ministers after he called for a delay on migration controls over concerns of the impact on business.

However, the PM’s spokeswoman told reporters: "The prime minister has full confidence in the chancellor and the work that he is doing."

The reported flare-up came at a meeting last week of the Cabinet committee on Brexit when Mr Hammond was said to have urged caution after home secretary Amber Rudd raised plans for a work permit scheme for skilled migrants.

Some ministers were said to be impatient with the chancellor's intervention, complaining that he was ignoring Mrs May's instruction to "get on" with Brexit.

Her spokeswoman, however, insisted that ministers were working together to prepare for the upcoming negotiations on the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

"The Prime Minister is pursuing a collective government approach where - either at cabinet or through cabinet committees - the relevant cabinet ministers involved are able to discuss and debate issues before decisions are reached," the spokeswoman said.

"The Prime Minister is focused on making sure that we prepare for the negotiations and that we get the best deal for the United Kingdom.

"Ultimately, we need to ensure that we are all working together to ensure that we make a success of Brexit.

"There is a real sense among the ministerial team that the Government has a very important job to do which is delivering the will of the British people on leaving the European Union and they are focused on working together to prepare for those negotiation," she added.