FORMER First Minister Alex Salmond has hit back at Boris Johnson after the Tory leader branded him "twinkle toes" at a conference event.

Johnson had claimed the “lustre is coming off old twinkle toes” as he attacked the Scottish independence movement at a Tory conference event.

Asked by reporters who he was referring to, the Prime Minister laughed before saying “twinkle toes” was a reference to former first minister Alex Salmond.

Speaking on Sunday evening, the Prime Minister also praised the Scottish branch of his party for “depriving” the SNP of a majority in the Holyrood elections.

Douglas Ross led his Tories to equal their best ever Holyrood result in May - returning 31 MSPs. The SNP returned 64, one short of a majority in the chamber of 129 members.

READ MORE: Boris Johnson clueless about Douglas Ross's Tory conference speech

However, after a co-operation agreement with the Greens, Holyrood has a solid working pro-independence majority.

Greeted with applause by attendees at the Tory event, the Prime Minister said on Sunday that he was happy to finally be able to “shake hands and exchange bodily fluids”.

He added: “It is the first time I’ve been able to thank you all in person for the heroic act of depriving the SNP of the majority they so craved.”

Johnson attacked the independence movement, saying the “gilt is coming off the gingerbread of Scottish nationalists” and the “lustre is coming off old twinkle toes”.

Responding to the Prime Minister's jibe, Salmond told The National that it seemed to be a compliment.

Referring to the definition of "twinkle toes" as a person who is light on their feet, Salmond said: "Actually my dance moves are as of nothing compared to his pal Michael Gove, tripping the light fantastic in Aberdeen.

"If I were still First Minister then it is Johnson who would now be dancing to Scotland’s tune - as David Cameron did in 2011."

READ MORE: Senior Tory hammered for claiming Scotland is part of England in anti-SNP rant

Johnson also lashed out at Labour, saying the only way Keir Starmer’s party could get into power would be through a “crackpot coalition” with the “Scottish nationalist party”.

He said: “We can’t let it happen. How can we trust the government of our country to that deeply divided party that doesn’t know where it's going, basically a mob of Corbynista lefties apathetically directed by an Islingtonian cabal.”

The Prime Minister added: “If we’d listened to Captain Hindsight [Starmer] on July 19 this country would still be in lockdown.”

Despite having been speaking at a Scottish Conservative event, Johnson’s comments seem to have been in reference to England and not the UK, due to health being devolved.