BORIS Johnson’s decision to press ahead with Brexit in the middle of the pandemic is an “unforgivable act of economic sabotage” to Scotland’s economy, Constitution Secretary Michael Russell has said.

With a decision on whether the UK and EU will continue talks due to be made today, Russell warned a No-Deal scenario is “unthinkable” and the Prime Minister must take it off the table.

But he said even leaving the EU with the kind of deal the Tories are seeking will be “massively damaging” and hit jobs and living standards.

As Brexit talks continued, Johnson faced a huge backlash – including from senior Conservatives – over the threat to deploy Royal Navy gunboats to protect UK fishing waters in the event of a No-Deal.

The UK Government has today confirmed that No-Deal Brexit preparations have seen Royal Navy vessels deployed to “threats of illegal fishing” in UK waters.

A spokesperson said: “We’ve run live exercises moving fresh produce and fish across the border, and scrambled naval vessels to respond to threats of illegal fishing in our soon-to-be sovereign waters.”

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf tweeted the move exemplified a “pathetic pretence of a UK Government that still thinks they head a mighty Empire, when really they are led by an Emperor that has been found out time and again to have no clothes.”

Yesterday he said: “This UK Government gunboat diplomacy isn’t welcome in Scottish waters.

“We will protect our fisheries where necessary, Police Scotland and Marine Scotland have primacy to do that.

“But we won’t do that by threatening our allies, our Nato allies in fact, by threatening to sink their vessels.”

Adam Price, leader of Plaid Cymru, tweeted it was another reason for Wales to go “full steam ahead to indy”.

“Welsh Labour Government needs to make it clear that Westminster’s 19th century sabre-rattling Brit Nat nonsense is not welcome off our shores either,” he added.

The Ministry of Defence has said that four 80-metre armed vessels have been placed on standby to guard British waters from EU trawlers in the event that there is no new agreement on fishing rights after December 31 when transitional arrangements end.

Reports also suggested that military helicopter surveillance will be made available and that ministers are considering beefing-up Navy powers in legislation to authorise them to board and arrest fishermen found to be contravening post-Brexit rules.

Tobias Ellwood, Conservative chairman of the Commons Defence Committee, called the threat “irresponsible”.

He said: “We are facing the undignified prospect of our overstretched Royal Navy squaring up to a close Nato ally over fishing vessel rights.

“This isn’t Elizabethan times any more – this is global Britain, we need to be raising the bar much, much higher than this.”

Former Tory chairman and European commissioner Lord Patten also accused the Prime Minister of behaving like an “English nationalist” in his handling of the Brexit talks.

“What we’re seeing is Boris Johnson on this runaway train of English exceptionalism and heaven knows where it is going to take us in the end,” he said.

“I want the best for my country, I fear for what’s happening at the moment and I fear for our reputation around the world, I fear for what will happen economically.

“I hope that I’m wrong to feel so depressed about the outlook but I don’t think that Mr Johnson is a Conservative, I think he is an English nationalist.”

The trade talks have continued to be deadlocked over the thorny issues of fishing rights and the so-called level playing field “ratchet” that would tie the UK to future EU standards.

Today’s deadline was set by Johnson and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen after months of talks failed to achieve an agreement.

Both have warned that a No-Deal outcome looks more likely than an agreement in the trade negotiations and agreed to take a firm decision on the future of the talks by today. Chief trade negotiators Michel Barnier and Lord Frost have discussions scheduled for today.

Russell said: “Boris Johnson’s decision to end the Brexit transition period in the middle of a pandemic and deep recession is an unforgivable act of economic sabotage to Scotland’s economy.

“The deal the Prime Minister says he wants will involve major trade barriers in less than three weeks’ time and will remove Scotland from the European Single Market, which by population is seven times the size of the UK.

“That will be massively damaging but even worse will be a No-Deal Brexit. That is simply unthinkable and must be removed from the table today before Boris Johnson tips Scotland over the sharpest of cliff-edges.”

The Scottish Government this week put in place its emergency resilience apparatus and measures to protect medical supplies from the disruption of Brexit, including stockpiling around 60 critical medicines so supplies do not run out.

Russell added: “The Scottish Government is devoting huge efforts and resources to tackling the Covid-19 crisis to keep people safe.

“It is outrageous that at this time we are also having to cope with Brexit disruption and the looming disaster of a No-Deal or low-deal outcome.

“We are doing all we can to prepare, to ensure that vital medicines are available and that businesses are helped to weather this unnecessary storm, but sadly we will not be able to mitigate all the damage.”