FRANCOIS Hollande has delivered a stark warning to Theresa May that Britain will not remain in the single market unless it accepted freedom of movement for EU workers.

"It will be a choice facing the UK: remain in the single market and then assume the free movement that goes with it or have another status. That will be the subject of the negotiation," declared the French President during Mrs May’s first visit to the Elysee Palace as Prime Minister.

Mr Hollande also urged his British guest to trigger the Brexit talks as soon as possible to avoid the “danger” of uncertainty. “The sooner, the better,” he said.

But in a victory for the PM the President agreed, despite Britain’s decision to leave the EU, to keep its border controls in Calais.

Mrs May’s first visit to Paris came as Jeremy Wright, the Attorney General, underlined how the Scottish Government would not have a veto on the Brexit process, making clear that there would be no need for a legislative consent motion from Holyrood for the final deal with Brussels.

On Friday, Nicola Sturgeon will attend an extraordinary meeting of the British-Irish Council in Cardiff when the issue of the role of the devolved administrations in the Brexit process will be at the top of the agenda.

The First Minister is expected to respond to the UK Government’s view that her insistence that “remain means remain” for Scotland is “impracticable”.

At a joint press conference in the French capital, the President stressed how Britain’s future in the single market was the “most crucial point”.

He explained: “If it wishes to remain within the single market, it is its decision to know how far and how it will have to abide by the four freedoms.

"None can be separated from the other. There cannot be freedom of movement of goods, free movement of capital, free movement of services, if there isn't a free movement of people,” he declared.

The PM said the referendum result had been a "very clear message that we should introduce some controls to the movement of individuals from the countries of the European Union into the UK".

She explained: "Obviously, looking at that issue will be part of the negotiations. I'm clear the Government should deliver and will deliver on that for the British people but we also want to get the right deal on the trade in goods and services and this is important economically not just for the United Kingdom but for other countries within the European Union as well."

She confirmed the UK would not trigger Article 50 until the turn of the year as all sides needed the next six months to formulate their positions.

Mrs May, who will move into No 10 this weekend, is expected to make more foreign trips in the coming weeks, including one to Washington.

Also at the press conference, it was made clear that the UK-France agreement on border controls would continue, thus dispelling the claim by the Remain camp in the referendum campaign that a decision to quit the EU would move the border controls from Calais to Dover.

"We are both very clear that the agreement should stay", the PM declared. Mr Hollande said it was his country’s “duty to apply it and to improve it as well".

At Westminster, during questions to the Attorney General, the SNP’s Martyn Day highlighted the “remain means remain” declaration by Ms Sturgeon, noting how “the Scottish people have spoken and that therefore their sovereignty should be respected”.

But Mr Wright declared: “The people of the United Kingdom have spoken and their sovereignty must be respected. The people of the United Kingdom have made their decision on whether to leave the European Union and we will respect it.”

Mr Day’s Nationalist colleague Alison Thewliss suggested a legislative consent motion from the Scottish Parliament was “required before the Government have the legal authority to trigger Article 50”.

But the UK Government’s chief legal officer stressed that while the PM had made it clear the Scottish Government would be able to participate in the process, this did not give it a veto. “So, consultation most certainly, but veto I am afraid not,” he added.