NICOLA STURGEON said yesterday that a vote to leave the European Union against Scotland’s will would “almost certainly” trigger a second Scottish independence referendum.

Speaking on the Andrew Marr Show, Scotland’s First Minister claimed there would be an “inescapable” shift in public opinion towards independence if it would ensure Scotland’s continued EU membership, adding that it was “inevitable” that No voters in the last referendum would change their minds.

She warned that if “we find ourselves, having voted to stay in the EU, being taken out against our will, I think there will be many people — including people who voted No in 2014 — who would say the only way to guarantee our EU membership is to be independent.”