THERESA May’s government has been branded “clueless” by the SNP after a Tory aide’s memo, photographed after a meeting in Downing Street, suggested Britain was unlikely to get the opportunity to stay in the European single market.

The notes, carried by an advisor to MP Mark Field, the pro-Remain vice-chairman of the Conservative Party, suggested the ideal model for Brexit was “have cake and eat it”.

They also indicated:

*the UK Government would not go for a Norway-style deal but instead ministers were considering a “Canada-plus” trade arrangement;

*Britain would leave the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice as it did not “fit” with the Prime Minister’s determination to curb immigration and

*the Government was "loath" to introduce "transitional" controls after Brexit.

This is the latest incident when people carrying memos in and out of Downing Street have been caught by photographers.

It is thought the aide was snapped after she left a briefing at No 9 Downing Street, where David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, has an office, before visiting No 10.

Downing Street quickly moved to dismiss the document with a source saying: “This is not a government document and it does not represent the UK's position in relation to Brexit negotiations.”

But Stephen Gethins, the SNP’s Europe spokesman, seized on the photographs, saying: “At every turn, it becomes increasingly clear that the Tories have no plan for Brexit and now it’s clear they’re just trying to make it up as they go along.

“While the SNP has emphasised at every stage the importance of remaining within the single market, the UK Government are simply crossing their fingers and hoping for the best. But governing on a wing and prayer when our future in Europe is at stake is completely reckless. These notes reveal a government with no direction and no clue.”

He added: “Public patience has worn thin with stonewalling and obfuscating from the UK Government. It’s now high time they set out a proper plan on leaving the EU as opposed to hastily jotted down notes, so short on substance.”

Earlier, Mrs May signalled that agreement on guaranteeing the rights of EU citizens in the UK and British citizens in Europe could be reached soon.

Following talks in Downing Street with her Polish counterpart, Beata Szydlo, the PM said the UK was making "significant progress" in preparing for the Brexit negotiations, which are due to begin after the end of March.

"I have reiterated my plan to guarantee the rights of Poles and other Europeans currently living in the UK, so long as the rights of British citizens living across the EU are guaranteed," stressed Mrs May. “I hope we can reach an early agreement on this issue, providing certainty for Polish citizens here and British people living in Europe.”

Poles are now the largest immigrant group in Britain and by far in Scotland, following Poland’s accession to the EU in 2005.

In 2015, an estimated 831,000 Polish-born residents lived in the UK, an increase of almost three quarters of a million compared to the number in 2004, the year Poland joined the EU.

In Scotland last year, some 86,000 Poles were living here, making up 22 per cent of all foreign-born nationals. The next largest groups were Indians and the Irish, both of whom numbered 16,000.

Poland is Britain's leading trading partner in central Europe with bilateral trade worth £15 billion last year and UK exports to Poland doubling over the past decade.

The PM hailed an “excellent summit” with Ms Szydlo, the first of its kind and which is due to become an annual event, while the Polish premier made clear Warsaw would insist on "reciprocity" in the rights and privileges accorded to UK citizens in Europe and EU citizens in Britain.

Meantime, the PM confirmed Britain would send 150 troops to Poland to help "deter Russian aggression" in Europe. The troops will be deployed in April close to the Polish border with the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.

In other developments:

*No 10 brushed aside criticism from Angus Robertson, the SNP deputy leader, that Mrs May was not taking Scotland’s priorities seriously in the Brexit process and that talking to Whitehall was like “shouting into a black hole”. The PM’s spokeswoman hit back, saying: “I wouldn’t accept that. The PM chaired a recent meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee, established a specific sub-group of that to talk about Brexit and to make sure we are hearing the views of the devolved administrations.”

*Former Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg and former Conservative business minister Anna Soubry said they would be willing to work with Tony Blair in a "cross-party anti-hard Brexit insurgency".

*Downing dismissed the prospect of another court challenge by campaign group British Influence, which claimed uncertainty over the UK's European Economic Area membership meant Government ministers could be stopped from taking Britain out of the single market. But No 10 said the UK was a member of the EEA by dint of its membership of the EU and once the latter ended so too would the former.