The Scottish and UK Governments remain deadlocked over key Brexit legislation despite "positive" talks between ministers.

Deputy first minister John Swinney said the discussions had been "constructive" but emphasised the Scottish Government still considers the current draft of the EU Withdrawal Bill to be a "blatant power grab".

He and Scotland's Brexit minister Michael Russell met the UK's first secretary of state Damian Green along with Scottish secretary David Mundell for the meeting in Whitehall on Monday.

Green had earlier said it was "time to get serious" about the draft bill.

After the talks, he said he was "cautiously optimistic" the two parties could find a way forward.

Nicola Sturgeon's government insists that as it stands it cannot approve the legislation, which would transpose EU law into British law but would also lead to responsibilities currently held in devolved areas being initially transferred to Westminster.

The UK Government says EU law intersects with devolved competence at Holyrood in 111 policy areas but argues returning these powers wholesale to Scotland without a common approach could disrupt the UK's internal market, damaging businesses and consumers.

The Scottish and Welsh devolved administrations have jointly proposed a number of changes they want to be made - and say if they are not made they can not recommend legislative consent.

Speaking after the meeting, Swinney said: "The discussions were constructive but we remain absolutely clear that, as things stand, we will not recommend to the Scottish Parliament that it gives its consent to the EU Withdrawal Bill.

"We made clear, we are not opposed in principle to UK-wide frameworks in certain areas - but this must be on the basis of agreement among equals, not imposed by Westminster.

"The bill as currently drafted is impractical and unworkable."

He continued: "It is a blatant power grab which would take existing competence over a wide range of devolved policy areas, including aspects of topics like agriculture and fishing, away from Holyrood, giving them instead to Westminster and Whitehall.

"That means that unless there are serious and significant changes to the proposed legislation, we will not recommend that the Scottish Parliament give consent to the Bill."

He said Scottish ministers would "continue to talk to the UK Government so the bill is changed to protect devolution".

The deputy first minister added: "We emphasised to the first secretary of state that the consent of the Scottish Parliament is required if there is to be agreement in this process.

"UK ministers should be in no doubt - to override a vote of the Scottish Parliament and impose the EU Withdrawal Bill on Scotland would be an extraordinary and unprecedented step to take.

"The current proposals are a direct threat to the devolution settlement which the people of Scotland overwhelmingly voted for in 1997."

The first secretary of state insisted the UK Government wants to maintain "the spirit and letter of the devolution settlement".

Green said: "I said that it was time for the talks to get serious and today they have got serious.

'We had a positive and constructive meeting and we are now starting to get into the nitty gritty of the detail of how we make sure Brexit works for all parts of the UK."

He added: "We are in agreement that we do not want to damage the UK internal market that is so important to Scottish businesses and their customers.

"The key point is that we want to bring back these powers from the EU in a way that protects the UK market and also preserves the spirit and letter of the devolution settlement."