Senior SNP figures step up pressure for indyref2 on Sturgeon

● Urgent action on vote needed says Neil ● Call comes ahead of conference

Senior SNP figures have called for Nicola Sturgeon to adopt a more “urgent” approach to staging a second independence referendum ahead of the party’s conference this weekend.

Former health secretary Alex Neil warned a second vote on leaving the UK must take place “as quickly as possible” to offset the looming economic turmoil of Brexit, while ex-holyrood presiding officer Tricia Marwick said many independence supporters want the process “moved forward”.

SNP delegates will gather in Glasgow on Sunday for the start of the three-day autumn conference. Nicola Sturgeon had been expected to update delegates on her plans for a second independence vote.

But this now appears unlikely with no clear picture on the final Brexit deal which the UK is expected to strike with Brussels.

Mr Neil made his comments on Alex Salmond’s controversial chat show on Russianstate funded channel RT.

“The quicker we get independence the better, because if you look at the condition of the Scottish economy and the challenges coming down the road with artificial intelligence and all the rest of it,” Mr Neil said.

He added: “Once we know the deal between the UK and the EU, then I think we need to map out very clearly a way forward as quickly as possible towards achieving independence. We need independence as urgently as possible, so we can get Scotland back up to the top echelons of economic performance and realise the benefits of our own resources for our own people.

“And irrespective of whether you’re for or against Brexit I think the one thing we’re all agreed upon is that Theresa May and her merry band of men and women in the Tory party have shown how not to run a country.”

Nationalists have been pushingforasecondindependence vote since the outcome of the Brexit referendum in 2016 when two-thirds of Scots voted to Remain, but the weight of votes south of the Border swung the outcome in favour of Leave. A major barrier to a second referendum is that Westminster has control over the constitution and Mrs May has made it clear she will not authorise such a vote.

The comments came under fire from Scottish Tory deputy leader Jackson Carlaw who said they don’t chime with the concerns of ordinary Scots.

“Once again we have been shown just how out of touch the SNP is,” he said. “The majority of Scots simply want the SNP to improve health, education and fill in the potholes. Only the extremist Nationalists want to enter another divisive referendum.”