NEITHER London nor Brussels was the rallying cry for one section of SNP supporters at the weekend.

Gerry Fisher told the Star that not all SNP members and supporters agree that Scotland should remain in the bloc despite the party leadership using Brexit as a the pretext to call a second independence referendum.

He believes that there are a significant number of SNP members who want Scottish independence but are wary of what EU membership will mean.

Speaking as a delegate at the SNP conference on Saturday, he said that “if the choice is being a member of the UK union or being a member of the EU — which is the choice we may be faced with — my answer would be to abstain.

“I can accept neither.”

The SNP argues that it has a mandate to call a referendum to prevent Scotland being taken out of the EU by Westminster against its will.

Mr Fisher said: “I’ve worked for independence from the UK for 50 years. I see no point in achieving that within a situation where I’m about to give it up the next day.”

According to a recent Survation poll, 43 per cent of pro-independence voters would also vote to leave the EU. In comparison, 62 per cent of the electorate in Scotland voted to remain in the EU, while the majority of voters in Britain opted to leave in last June’s referendum.

Mr Fisher said he doesn’t believe First Minister Nicola Sturgeon could negotiate any assurances for Scotland from the EU.

“As far as I’m concerned it’s a choice: membership of the EU is incompatible with independence for Scotland.”