THE TORIES are plotting to undermine Scotland’s interests during negotiations with the EU, in what Brexit secretary Michael Russell described last night as a “massive insult”.

The SNP minister hit out after leaked papers from negotiators in Brussels, obtained by The Times, revealed that the EU is “secretly preparing” to accept a frictionless Irish border after Brexit, with “technological solutions” minimising customs checks between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.

Under the EU plan, goods will be tracked using barcodes on shipping containers under “trusted-trader” schemes administered by registered companies.

In what the Scottish Government described as a “deceit”, the EU is reportedly, at the behest of the UK Government, carefully writing its proposal to prevent the SNP from demanding a similar deal for Scotland.

“The solution is specifically phrased for Northern Ireland so that it is not applicable for Scotland. A UK concern,” the note reportedly says.

Nicola Sturgeon has said any deal which allows Northern Ireland to, effectively, remain in the single market must be offered to Scotland.

“If one part of UK can retain regulatory alignment with EU and effectively stay in the single market, which is the right solution for Northern Ireland, there is surely no good practical reason why others can’t.” the SNP leader tweeted last December.

Scottish Brexit Minister Michael Russell was furious. He demanded Scots Tory chief Ruth Davidson condemn the UK Government’s course of action.

“It now seems that the Prime Minister and her Brexit team have also been conspiring behind closed doors trying to persuade the EU not to listen to five million EU citizens living in Scotland, the majority of whom don’t want to leave,” he told The National.

“That would be a massive insult and a massive deceit as the UK Government has at no time admitted to such activity despite regular contact and the existence of a Joint Ministerial Committee which is meant to give an element and transparency accountability to the EU/UK negotiations.”

The MSP said the treatment of Scotland by the UK Government was “getting shabbier and more disreputable by the day”.

He added that the Scottish Tories were now representing a party “actively working to undermine the Scottish interest, and moreover doing so in secret”.

“Surely even Ruth Davidson realises that and surely even she has to condemn such appalling, arrogant actions?” Russell said.

A spokesman for the Scottish Tories said: “If Mike Russell is unhappy at proposals made by the EU, he should take it up with them.”

A spokeswoman for the Department for Exiting the EU, said: “We are working hard to secure a deal that works for the whole of the UK, including Scotland.”

Meanwhile Boris Johnson has yet again attacked May’s Chequers plan describing it as a “spectacular political car crash”.

Johnson also said the EU’s technology proposal for the Irish border would mean Northern Ireland being “annexed” by Brussels.

The former foreign secretary, who once compared the Irish border to that of Camden and Islington, said: “If we are to get out of this mess, and get the great British motor back on track, then we need to understand the Irish backstop, and how it is being used to coerce the UK into becoming a vassal state of Brussels.”

Under the EU’s original plan for the “backstop”, Northern Ireland would effectively have regulatory alignment to the EU single market and be inside its customs area.

However, the DUP, who prop up May’s government in the Commons, will not support any proposals that means a different system of regulations and checks in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

Speaking to the BBC, May said: “The people of Northern Ireland deserve to be listened to ... The only proposal that’s been put forward that delivers on them not having that hard border and ensures we don’t carve up the UK is the Chequers plan.”

The Prime Minister also insisted that there were only two options for Brexit; her Chequers plan or crashing out of the EU with no deal.

May said: “I believe we will get a good deal. We will bring that back from the EU negotiations and put that to parliament. I think that the alternative to that will be not having a deal.”

Jacob Rees-Mogg, the chairman of the Eurosceptic ERG group of Brexiteer Tories, said May was wrong.

“The Prime Minister’s argument on the radio this morning [was] that it was either her plan or WTO term, in which case WTO terms would be much better.The only reason we have got the Chequers plan is because she didn’t put forward a better one.”