Nicola Sturgeon has reacted furiously to a suggestion by a senior Conservative minister that the UK Government would block a second independence referendum.
Sir Michael Fallon, who is visiting Scotland today, says his administration would refuse to grant the First Minister the power to stage a re-run of the 2014 vote.
Asked whether the Tories would sign off another plebiscite, he told The Herald: “No, forget it”.
But he appeared to row back on that stance in an interview on Good Morning Scotland, in which he told Ms Sturgeon to “forget all that stuff and get on with the day job”.
Ms Sturgeon, who is poised to call a second independence referendum if her government’s demands over Brexit are ignored, said the “arrogance of the Tories knows no bounds”.
“Any Tory bid to block a referendum would be a democratic outrage, but would only succeed in boosting support for both a referendum and for independence itself – something which the Prime Minister has previously indicated she understands all too well,” she said.
“Our mandate is unequivocal, with a manifesto commitment which makes explicitly clear that the Scottish Parliament should have the right to decide on an independence referendum if Scotland faces being taken out of the EU against our will.
“And no Tory Westminster government has a right to stand in the way of that.”
In 2012, David Cameron temporarily granted Holyrood the power to hold an independence referendum.
While it is feasible his successor Theresa May could refuse to grant the section 30 order, it is widely seen as politically dangerous given such a move could rally public sentiment towards secession.
On whether the UK Government would facilitate another referendum, Mr Fallon said: “No, forget it. The respect agenda is two-way.
“She [the First Minister] is constantly asking us to respect the SNP Government but she has to respect the decision of Scotland to stay inside the UK in 2014 and the decision of the UK to leave the EU. Respect works two ways.”
He added that he does not believe the SNP has a mandate to hold another one.
Scottish Secretary David Mundell has previously said there could be another independence referendum, but that it would not be in Scotland’s interests.
