Tory minister Michael Gove has dismissed concerns that Brexit will leave Scotland worse off and insisted it would be a good thing for businesses.
The senior Conservative clashed with SNP MSPs over the constitution in a virtual session of Holyrood's Europe and external affairs committee today.
Gove - who is responsible for UK Government preparations for a possible No Deal Brexit - said leaving the EU would offer greater opportunities to Scotland's fishing and agricultural sectors.
But Nationalists said a chaotic exit from Europe risked leaving Scots poorer.
His appearance before MSPs comes two weeks after the UK Government formally rejected a call from Nicola Sturgeon to extend the Brexit transition period in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
Gove said: "One of the benefits of being outside of the European Union is we can have full control of our exclusive economic zone - that means we can decide who fishes in our waters and on what terms.
"At the moment, because of our concession to the European Union in the 1970s, it's the case that other countries have significant access to our waters.
"We want to make sure we are an independent coastal state. Just like Norway, Iceland, and the Faroes, we can allow others in (to our waters) but on our terms.
"That means more jobs and more money for Scotland's coastal communities."
Gove also took aim at the SNP's policy of an independent Scotland rejoining the EU at some point in the future.
He continued: "Scotland's businesses and consumers benefit from the strength from our UK internal market. If that internal market were to be fractured, that would be the greatest competitive disadvantage that Scotland's businesses could be faced with."
SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson asked what areas of the UK economy would "struggle" if Brexit negotiations were not concluded by the end of the year with no transition.
The Conservative minister insisted the pace of negotiations would be accelerated and said there was "determination on all sides" to make progress.
Nationalist MSP Annabelle Ewing said it would be "hugely damaging" to the Scottish economy when the UK left the single market. She asked Gove: "Why do you want to make my constituents of Cowdenbeath poorer?"
The Tory minister replied: "The last thing I would want to do is make people in Cowdenbeath or anywhere in Fife poorer. I'm in politics to spread prosperity and generate greater equality of opportunity.
"One of the things that would make people in Cowdenbeath poorer is if Scotland were to leave the single market of the UK."
The First Ministers of Scotland and Wales believe more time is required to complete negotiations and support businesses through recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
Nicola Sturgeon has previously said leaving the transition period was “an avoidable shock" that would pile a further economic and social shock on top of the Covid-19 crisis.
