Talk of new Scottish referendum a ‘distraction’, says No 10

No 10 has dismissed the possibility of a second referendum on Scottish independence, saying continued talk over the issue is just a "distraction".

Nicola Sturgeon has said a new vote could be held in the autumn of next year, just months before Britain is due to leave the European Union.

Speaking to the BBC, the First Minister said she was "not ruling anything out" and was not "bluffing" over the referendum.

But Downing Street does not believe there should be a second referendum, a spokesman for the Prime Minister said.

"The referendum was held only in 2014. It was a fair, decisive and legal vote," he said.

"Both sides agreed to abide by that and we think both sides should. Continued discussion around a second referendum is a distraction."

In the last vote, support for independence in Scotland stood at 45%, and recent polls show most Scots do not want another vote on secession.

But Ms Sturgeon has said that the result of the Brexit referendum, when Scotland voted to stay in the European Union but the UK as a whole voted to leave, gives her a mandate to call a new vote.

Any new independence referendum would have to be approved by Theresa May’s Government

Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale accused Ms Sturgeon of seeking to "sow division and uncertainty, at a time when the country needs to pull together more than ever".

(c) Sky News 2017: Talk of new Scottish referendum a ‘distraction’, says No 10