Nicola Sturgeon has accused Jeremy Corbyn of misleading his own voters over the ­European single market.

The SNP First Minister claimed Corbyn is wrong to say that Britain must give up membership when it leaves the EU.

And she branded his refusal to commit to the market ­“inexplicable”.

Sturgeon told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show: “There would be a Commons majority for staying in the single market if Labour gets its act together.

“Jeremy Corbyn has to decide where he stands, most of his supporters will be disappointed that he is only in favour of slightly less hard Brexit than the Tories are.”

When Corbyn later insisted Labour could not pursue ­membership of the single market, Sturgeon resumed her attack on Twitter.

She said: “Saying this once could be a simple mistake. Continuing to say it when you know it is inaccurate can only be an attempt to mislead people.

“On the single market, why does Corbyn insist on being so out of touch with both the views of his own supporters and the best interests of economy?”

The First Minister said Corbyn's refusal to commit to the single market was 'inexplicable'

Sturgeon targeted the Labour leader as she prepared to publish a Scottish Government study on the effects of Brexit.

But half an hour later, Corbyn rejected Sturgeon out of hand and said the UK should go for its own trade deal with the EU.

He said: “I don’t quite understand why she would keep saying join the single market when leaving the EU means you leave the single market, you have to make a special ­relationship with the European Union.”

Corbyn claimed single market rules against state aid would restrict Labour’s industrial plans for Britain should the party form a government.

Corbyn told ITV’s Peston on Sunday: “The single market is dependent on membership of the European Union.

“Do we have a trading relationship with Europe which is tariff-free, which is based on access to that market, and access of Europe to our market? Yes.

“Do we push for that in the ­negotiations? Yes. Is that what we have said to the European Union in opposition? Yes.

“You have to make a special ­relationship with the European Union.”

The Labour leader has already faced criticism from party colleagues over their single market stance

Corbyn already faces pressure from some Labour colleagues to change tack and campaign to remain in the single market and customs union after withdrawal.

He faces a damaging Commons rebellion when the issue of single market membership is put to MPs as an amendment to the EU ­Withdrawal Bill.

Edinburgh South MP Ian Murray, a leading supporter of the Open Britain campaign, said he welcomed Corbyn’s commitment to being in a customs union.

But he questioned the point of leaving the existing customs union to do so.

Murray said: “There is no ­progressive case for erecting trade barriers with our largest trading partner in order to pursue fantasy trade deals around the world.

“But the question is – why invent a new customs union when a hugely effective and efficient one already exists?”

“It is now vital that all parties in Parliament fight to keep us in the customs union and not get diverted into discussions about what a perfect solution is when the working ­solution, on which thousands of jobs depend, is now at risk.”

Tory hard Brexit will lead to the loss of tens of thousands of jobs in Scotland
Sturgeon argues that Corbyn is out of touch with his supporters on the European single market

Corbyn said yesterday he was not backing calls for a second ­referendum but sidestepped the question of whether Labour could support a new referendum in the future.

Asked about a referendum on any Brexit deal, Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry told Andrew Marr: “If 90 per cent of the ­population was now saying we must stay in the European Union and we must not leave, then that would be a ­challenge that would be there for all of us who are democrats.

“But, at the moment, and as things currently stand, we proceed in good faith, we do as we are instructed and we are leaving the European Union.

“We have said that we must respect the result of the ­referendum which means that we have to leave, but we have to look after the economy which, in my view, means that we don’t go very far.”