PATRICK Harvie has told Scottish independence supporters to keep the faith saying that opposition towards indyref2 will drive undecided voters towards backing independence.

He admitted that it was unlikely Boris Johnson would not oppose indyref2 but said that the matter was "a point of principle" and campaigners should not lose faith.

Speaking to The Scotsman, the Scottish Greens co-leader said: “The issue is, what is the Scottish Government going to do to try and achieve the progress that we need toward putting Scotland’s future back in the hands of the people that live here?

“I’m not going to try and pretend that’s going to be easily achieved, or that Boris Johnson is going to suddenly wake up and tomorrow and decide he was wrong.

“It’s going to be a tough argument – but there is a point of principle. I don’t think it’s OK to just give up and roll over and wait for Brexit to damage to our society and our economy.”

He added: “My best guess is the Tories will reach a point of recognition. The longer they hold out and say: ‘You’re not allowed to make this choice’, the stronger the support for independence will become.

“They will recognise that if they have any chance at all of persuading people not to opt for a positive future, as an independent member of the European Union, they are going to have allow that question to come sooner or later. The longer they leave it, the more determined people will become.”

He also ruled out a consultative ballot saying: “I think it’s far better if we can have this choice on a democratic basis without going to court, because I think that’s the best way to make sure both sides of the argument accept the rules and the legitimacy of the outcome.

“If at some point it becomes utterly impossible and the UK becomes intransigent, even after 2021, well possibly you might have to look at that. But it’s by no means an option we should be enthusiastic about.”

SNP MSP Stuart McMillan has said there is “still a job to do” to garner support for Scottish independence.

At a rally of hundreds of independence supporters outside the Scottish Parliament, McMillan echoed the calls of the First Minister in her speech on Friday, when she urged activists to engage in “conversations” with floating voters.

Addressing the crowd, McMillan asked attendees to introduce themselves to someone in the crowd they did not know.

He said: “For us to win the fight for independence, we need to talk to more people.

“We’re not yet over that threshold. The opinion polls have shown it’s around 50%, last week they said it was 51% – we’ve still got a job to do.

“We need to talk to more people.”