Ms Davidson, who is supporting fellow Remainer Theresa May in the Conservative leadership battle, is eager to retain access to the EU's single market, despite access likely to result in Britain retaining freedom of movement. Andrea Leadsom, Mrs May’s rival in the Tory leadership race, has vowed to end freedom of movement and activate Article 50 as soon as she can. Speaking to BBC’s Newsnight Ms Davidson said: "What I want to see for Scotland is access to that single market." The Conservative’s leader in Scotland continued: "I think that is important for Scottish business.

BBC•GETTY Ruth Davidson is eager for access to EU's single market for Scotland

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What I want to see for Scotland is access to that single market Ruth Davidson

"It is important for lots of sectors. I want to see passporting for our financial services. "I want to see the very best deal for Scotland’s fishermen." President of the European Council Donald Tusk has consistently stated since Brexit that freedom of movement is a non-negotiable part of access to the single market. Ms Davidson has also outlined why she is backing Mrs May over Ms leadsom in the leadership battle: "We need someone who is a hard negotiator, who is tough, who is steely, who can go toe-to-toe with the big players in Europe. "While I think Andrea Leadsom has a huge bright future in the party… I think it is someone who can hit the ground running on day one and that can only be Theresa May." However, some viewers were far from impressed with Ms Davidson’s demands for access to the single market. One told her to "concentrate on the rest of the world".