JACKSON Carlaw’s Tories are now taking orders from their Westminster bosses on a No-Deal Brexit, the Scotland Secretary has confirmed.

Alister Jack said his party colleagues had been “brought into line” as he was asked about branch office leader Jackson Carlaw’s U-turn.

Interviewed at the Tory conference in Manchester on Sunday, the Scottish Tory boss confirmed that he would back Prime Minister Boris Johnson even in a No-Deal Brexit.

It was a break from the position of Ruth Davidson, who had opposed such an exit from the EU.

Jack said it meant the Scottish Tories had been “brought into line” with the UK Government’s position.

There were reports of internal dissatisfaction at Carlaw’s move, with The Telegraph revealing that Europe minister Donald Cameron and shadow constitution minister Adam Tomkins were not informed beforehand.

Asked if Carlaw had consulted anyone, Jack said: “Well, he certainly consulted other MSPs. He consulted me, and I know that Ruth was aware of his position. He’s bringing the Scottish Conservatives into line with the rest of the UK party.”

Jack was then questioned on whether he had put any pressure on the Scottish Tory leader to make the move.

He replied: “Absolutely none whatsoever. No, absolutely none whatsoever. But he’s brought the Scottish Conservatives into line with the UK Government.

“He is his own man. He has stated his position very clearly and I think he has done the right thing.”

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the answer was proof that the interests of the people of Scotland were not at the forefront of Tory minds.

She tweeted: “Jackson Carlaw has brought the Scottish Tories ‘into line’ with the UK Government, says the Scottish Secretary. Confirmation that the interests of the Scottish people and economy are not the priority for the Tories.”

SNP MP Pete Wishart joined in the condemnation, saying in response to a clip of Jack’s interview: “This is the new authority in the Scottish Conservatives. A Johnson-backing hard-Brexiteer landowner. The days of the fuzzy ‘people friendly’ nonsense around team Ruth seems such a long time ago.”

Elsewhere at conference, Johnson acknowledged that he faces “tough” negotiations with Brussels as he prepares to set out his formal proposals for a Brexit deal.

The Prime Minister accepted that customs checks could be needed in Northern Ireland but insisted they could be “minimal and non-intrusive”.

He expects to find out within days whether he can secure a Brexit deal with the European Union.

His formal proposals on measures to replace the controversial Irish backstop are due to be submitted later this week and Johnson said it would soon become apparent if there is “no way of getting it over the line from their point of view”.

The Prime Minister and other members of the Government distanced themselves from briefings which suggested the UK had proposed a series of customs posts being built between five and 10 miles back either side of the Irish border, but admitted some checks may be necessary.

European Commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva said: “We have not received any proposals from the United Kingdom that meet all the objectives of the backstop, as we have been reiterating and demanding.”

She added: “It’s the UK’s responsibility to come forward with workable and legally operational solutions that meet all of the objectives of the backstop.”

Meanwhile, The Times reported that Johnson’s plan to get around the Benn Act – the law aimed at preventing a No-Deal Brexit without MPs’ approval – would be to ask EU leaders to rule out any extension to the October 31 deadline.

Johnson denied that was the case, adding: “In truth, we have not made any such request.”

But he did appear to question whether the Benn Act had been drawn up in collaboration with other EU states following claims from Downing Street sources of “collusion with foreign powers”.

There is a “legitimate question” to be asked about how the legislation came about, he said.