Boris Johnson will not meet Scotland's first minister for talks during a visit this week.
Nicola Sturgeon had invited the prime minister to her official residence to discuss recovery after the Covid pandemic.
But that will not happen, according to a letter seen by the BBC.
Instead, Mr Johnson has suggested a meeting with other first ministers at a later date.
In a letter to Ms Sturgeon seen by the BBC, Mr Johnson said as he was "keen to arrange an in-person meeting" with her.
He said that, at a previous meeting between them, it was agreed they should set up a "structured forum for ongoing engagement" - and officials had made good progress on this.
"There is much for us to discuss as all parts of the UK work together on our shared priority of recovering from the pandemic," he said.
"The UK government is working closely with the devolved Scottish government on a variety of different issues."
And he added: "I look forward to meeting with you soon and working together in the interests of people in all parts of our country."
Ms Sturgeon tweeted on Monday that she had invited the PM to Bute House. She said the prime minister's trip would be the first chance for the pair to meet in person for a while.
The prime minister is expected to visit Scotland in the coming days, as is Labour's leader Sir Keir Starmer.
It will be Mr Johnson's first visit since January - and his first since a pro-independence majority was returned at the Holyrood election in May.
There is no prospect of the pair seeing eye-to-eye on another referendum - but Ms Sturgeon had said she wanted to discuss how the governments could work together on "Covid recovery".
On his last trip to Scotland in January 2021, Ms Sturgeon questioned whether the trip was essential during lockdown restrictions.
Downing Street said it was important for the prime minister to be "visible and accessible" during the pandemic.
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2021-08-03 17:38:16Z
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