THE Cabinet minister in charge of leaving the EU has rejected outright a suggestion by the First Minister that there may be a way of allowing Scotland to stay in both the European Union and the UK under Brexit.

Taking an uncompromising stance David Davis, secretary of state for exiting the EU, dismissed the scenario during his first major television interview since being appointed by Prime Minister Theresa May last week.

The development increases the prospect of a second independence referendum after Scotland voted to remain in the EU last month, while the UK as a whole voted to leave.

However, the Tory hardliner also poured contempt on the prospect of “indyref2” – claiming Scots didn’t want one.

His comments followed remarks by Nicola Sturgeon who has set up an expert group to look at the options for protecting Scotland’s place in Europe.

The First Minister told the Andrew Marr programme yesterday it could be possible to find a solution where Scotland remains in the EU and the UK, while the rest of the country leaves.

“My position is there might be,” she said. “We’re in uncharted territory, and when you are in uncharted territory with effectively a blank sheet of paper in front of you, then you have the opportunity to try to think things that might have previously been unthinkable and shape the future.

“I think there are opportunities. The positive outcome of the meeting I had with the Prime Minister on Friday was that she said she was prepared to listen to options the Scottish Government would bring forward to give effect to how Scotland voted and we will certainly bring forward options.”

But asked if there may be a way for Scotland to remain in both the UK and EU when the rest of the UK leaves, Davis told Sky News: “I don’t think that works. One of our really challenging issues to deal with will be the internal border we have with southern Ireland, and we are not going to go about creating other internal borders inside the United Kingdom.”

The right winger, part of a triumvirate of Brexit-backing new Cabinet ministers alongside foreign secretary Boris Johnson and international trade secretary Liam Fox, was also pressed on whether Westminster would block a second independence referendum.

Despite a series of polls suggesting Scots would back independence following the Brexit vote, Davis, who appeared to hesitate, replied: “I don’t think they would want one.”

Davis suggested that Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, the legal process through which the UK would officially set the clock ticking on its two-year Brexit negotiations, would be triggered “early next year”.

His remarks paint a different picture of Brexit than that presented by May, who has said she will try to build consensus before launching formal negotiations.

On Friday, May told Sturgeon she would not trigger Article 50 before getting a UK-wide agreement.

Yesterday Sturgeon hit out at Labour leadership contender Angela Eagle for suggesting Scotland, like London and Liverpool, which also voted to remain, should accept the leave vote.

“Well, can I point out gently to Angela Eagle that there is a difference between Scotland and Liverpool and London. Scotland is not a region of the UK,” she told the BBC’s Andrew Marr programme.

“Scotland is a nation and if we cannot protect our interests within a UK that is going to be changing fundamentally, then that right of Scotland to consider the option of independence has to be there.”

Eagle, who has launched a challenge to Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the Labour Party, was asked whether she would legally block a second Scottish independence referendum if she were Prime Minister.

She stated: “London voted to remain and we are in a situation where we’re leaving. Liverpool and Merseyside voted to remain, so I think that it’s important that we actually get the terms of leaving right and we have got to have an all-party agreement on that.”

Also on the Marr programme, Sturgeon, asked if the EU may act politically to keep Scotland in, she said: “I do think that mood is there, and what I encountered in Brussels was a warmth, an openness, a great sympathy to the position that Scotland finds itself in.”