SNP wants Indyref2 vote if it wins majority of Scots seats at General Election

The Scottish National Party (SNP) would demand a second referendum on independence if it won a majority of seats at the June 8 General Election, according to its manifesto.

The document, released on Tuesday, outlines the party's vision for a post-Brexit landscape and demands a seat at the negotiating table. It says a second referendum would be held at the end of the Brexit process.

It added that “any continued Tory attempts to block the people of Scotland having a choice on their future, when the options are clear, and on a timescale determined by the Scottish Parliament, would be democratically unsustainable”.

Nicola Sturgeon's party holds 56 of the 59 seats north of the English border after wiping Labour off the map at the 2015 General Election. In 2014 a Scottish independence referendum was defeated by 55.3% to 44.7%.

The SNP last year said it would consider a second referendum if there was a material change in Scotland's circumstances, such as Britain leaving the EU.

In March this year the Scottish Parliament voted in favour of negotiating terms for a second referendum. However, UK Prime Minister Theresa May batted away the request, saying “now is not the time” for talks.

After polls suggested that public support for another independence vote may not be as strong as initially thought, the SNP have taken a slightly different course by demanding a vote once the final Brexit terms are clear.

“Brexit must not simply be imposed on Scotland no matter how damaging it turns out to be,” the manifesto stated, adding that the 2016 Scottish election result that returned the SNP to power in an alliance with the Green Party “delivered the democratic mandate for an independence referendum in these circumstances”.