NICOLA Sturgeon has received fresh blows to her plan for a bespoke Scottish Brexit, with both Scottish Secretary David Mundell and a senior MEP rejecting the idea.

The comments will add to the pressure on the First Minister to hold a second independence referendum, which she said yesterday was all but inevitable.

Mr Mundell told BBC Scotland his officials had conducted a “line by line analysis” of the SNP Government’s proposal for keeping Scotland in the single market after Brexit.

Read more: Scotland's bid to remain in single market not dead, insists Fiona Hyslop

However he had seen no evidence so far which would justify such an arrangement, and disagreed that Scotland should “somehow be separate from the rest of the UK”.

German MEP Elmar Brok, chairman of the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee, also said there could be “no exceptions” for Scotland in Brexit negotiations.

He said he was “very sorry” for Scotland, but such “cherry-picking” was not possible.

Publishing her plan last month, the First Minister said her preference was for the whole of the UK to stay in the single market, and failing that a “differentiated deal” for Scotland.

As a last option, she warned Scotland could hold a second independence referendum.

Theresa May’s 12-point plan for Brexit, with its insistence on leaving the single market and effectively leaving the customs union, shot down Ms Sturgeon’s first option.

Read more: Scotland's bid to remain in single market not dead, insists Fiona Hyslop

The Prime Minister said she would consider the proposal for a Scottish deal, which would require the devolution of new powers over immigration, employment and international deals.

However Mr Mundell said it had not impressed the UK government so far, indicating a rejection which will push Ms Sturgeon’s closer to a second referendum.

He told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme: "The conclusion that we've reached is that there are a whole range of areas in which the Scottish Government and the UK Government are actually on common ground.

"Where we are not on common ground... is on the ideological issue of whether Scotland should somehow be separate from the rest of the UK.

"We are not in agreement with the Scottish Government on that and at the moment I have not seen evidence which would persuade me that there is a need for a Scotland-specific solution in relation either to market access or in relation to issues around migration."

He denied the UK Government was "railroading" through its position and said if impressive evidence was brought forward he would consider it with an open mind.

Asked about a second referendum, he said: "Of course there could be another independence referendum. The issue is whether there should be and I'm going to continue to argue, as my colleagues will in the Scottish Parliament, that there shouldn't be another."

Mr Brok also told the show a separate deal for Scotland was not on the cards.

He said: “We cannot have two agreements with the United Kingdom and with Scotland."

“How can we do exceptions for Britain and then exceptions for Scotland. How can we do that?

"I don't think this is a cherry-picking thing, I am very sorry for Scotland because of that."

He added: "The implication of such an agreement is that Scotland stands as a member of the United Kingdom"

Also on the programme, SNP external affairs secretary Fiona Hyslop was asked if negotiations for keeping Scotland in the single marker were now dead.

Read more: Scotland's bid to remain in single market not dead, insists Fiona Hyslop

She said: “Not at all. I think the Prime Minister was at pains yesterday to say that Scotland's paper will be considered and we will hold her to her word.

She said the Scottish Government’s plan was “technically and legally challenging but it is doable if there is the political will".

She added: "The real test here is for Theresa May to determine how precious, as she used the word, is the Union to her.

"We're presenting a case which is not about trying to have a differentiated position as a separate independent country or indeed continuing EU membership.

"This is a compromise position and we expect the UK to move some way towards us, it can't just be one-way traffic."

Scottish and UK ministers will meet in London tomorrow to discuss Brexit.

Mrs May’s plan for Brexit said the UK would leave the single market to control EU migration.

The UK would also effectively leave the EU customs union to strike international trade deals.

In response, Ms Sturgeon said the plan would be “economically catastrophic”, did not protect Scotland’s interests, and suggested Scotland’s voice was being ignored at Westminster.

She agreed Mrs May’s plan had made a second independence referendum all but inevitable.

The Scottish Greens also said a second referendum now appeared unavoidable.