SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon took the first step towards a second independence referendum yesterday by announcing the publication of an Independence Referendum Bill next week.

Speaking at the party’s autumn conference in Glasgow, Ms Sturgeon issued Prime Minister Theresa May with an ultimatum — respect the wishes of the 62 per cent of Scots who voted to remain or face a fresh independence referendum.

She warned Ms May: “If you value the UK as you say you do, then it’s up to you to show how the UK can work for Scotland.

The ball is in your court Prime Minister.”

She added: “If you can’t — or won’t — allow us to protect our interests within the UK, then Scotland will have the right to decide, afresh, if it wants to take a different path.”

Ms Sturgeon said that the right wing of the Tory Party was “in the ascendancy” and were using the Brexit result as a “cover for xenophobia.”

Ms Sturgeon accused Ms May of adopting Ukip-style policies and Nigel Farage-style rhetoric at the Tory Party conference which “shames the Tory Party and everyone who speaks for it.”

She accused Ms May and her allies of “tearing up” the Sewel convention — whereby Westminster cannot interfere in devolved areas without the consent of Holyrood — and warned that “to deny Scotland its right to withhold consent on an issue as important as this is constitutional vandalism.”

Ms Sturgeon told conference that her intention was that a referendum should take place before Britain leaves the EU in March 2019 “to protect our country’s interests.”

It is likely that the Scottish government would need approval from Westminster before it holds a referendum, as it had to for the 2014 referendum.

So far Ms May has said that she will not grant a referendum as the matter was settled in 2014.

Elsewhere in her speech Ms Sturgeon pledged to expand childcare, work to close the attainment gap in schools and invest and reform in the NHS.