NICOLA Sturgeon has accused Boris Johnson of "absurd and ridiculous" statements amid a furious row over potentially quarantining people travelling to Scotland from England.

The First Minister said it was "frankly disgraceful" and "shameful" that there were attempts to turn the issue into a constitutional row. 

It comes after she did not rule out requiring visitors from other parts of the UK to self-isolate for 14-days, while stressing there are no current plans to introduce such a measure.

Asked about the issue at Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Johnson said he found the speculation “absolutely astonishing and shameful”.

He added: “There have been no such discussions with the Scottish administration about that.

“There is no such thing as a border between England and Scotland.”

Earlier Scottish Secretary Alister Jack described comments suggesting that Scotland could require travellers from other UK nations to be quarantined as "divisive".

Ms Sturgeon hit back during her daily coronavirus briefing. 

She said: "Frankly, for a Prime Minister or a Secretary of State, who in a government sense are dealing with the same issues I am right now, to try to politicise these things is shameful and is unacceptable."

She said decisions must be "100 per cent driven by public health considerations". 

She pointed to moves in New York to quarantine those travelling from certain states in the US where coronavirus is flaring up again. 

Ms Sturgeon said: "I really do say to people, whether it's the leader of the Scottish Tories or the Secretary of State or even the Prime Minister, who I have been at pains not to criticise over this: if you find yourselves trying to turn any of this into a political or constitutional argument, go and take a long, hard look at yourself in a mirror. 

"And if you're being honest with yourself, you will admit that you're failing people or risking failing people."

She added: "I have no plans at the moment because the situation right now doesn't necessitate it, to have any consideration around quarantine for people coming into Scotland. 

"But if that changes, and the advice I am getting is that that would be a necessary measure to protect people in Scotland from a resurgence of this virus, then I would be failing in my duty not to consider that.

"Just as the governor of New York undoubtedly would be failing in his duty if he didn't impose quarantine on people coming in from some of the states in America just now where this virus is running out of control again."

She continued: "This is public health, and the fact that in Scotland we are trying to turn it into – and I'm saying 'we' to be charitable, because it isn't me – a kind of standard political constitutional row is frankly disgraceful."

Currently, anyone entering Scotland from overseas must go into quarantine for two weeks or face a £480 fine, with similar measures in place in England.