SCOTLAND’S First Minister Nicola Sturgeon suggested yesterday that a “soft” Brexit could push the prospect of a second independence referendum off the table in the short term.

In an interview with BBC Radio Scotland she said independence was the “direction of travel” for Scotland, but was willing to put it aside in the short term to seek “consensus and compromise” over Britain’s exit from the European Union.

But Radical Options for Scotland and Europe (ROSE) chairman Ian Davidson said that the SNP was simply biding its time as it wants to be sure of victory in a second referendum.