No EU option for North or Scotland, says Theresa Villiers

Northern Ireland and Scotland will not be able to attain special EU status in the wake of Brexit, Theresa Villiers has said.

The Northern Ireland secretary dismissed the suggestion that regions that backed a Remain vote could have a relationship with the EU distinct from England and Wales, where majorities favoured a UK exit.

While the referendum result has raised the prospect of another vote on Scottish independence and prompted Sinn Féin to demand a border poll on Irish unity, pro-Remainers in Scotland and Northern Ireland have also called for special measures to ensure their EU links are kept, whatever the constitutional consequences of Brexit.