NICOLA Sturgeon has told Boris Johnson she is confident that democracy is on her side as she looks towards holding a second independence referendum.

Speaking to the Financial Times, Scotland’s First Minister said it would be “unthinkable” for the UK Government to continue to deny Scots the right to have another say on their future.

It comes after Scottish Secretary Alister Jack suggested support for independence would have to reach 60% before a new vote is held, and shouldn’t take place for a generation – indicating that could mean 25 years.

The National:

Last month during the SNP conference, Downing Street also rejected Sturgeon’s call for indyref2 before she had even finished giving her speech.

The SNP government and the Greens with whom they have a co-operation agreement have pledged to hold indyref2 in the first half of this parliamentary term – in other words, by the end of 2023.

Sturgeon was asked about the potential paths to indyref2 in the Financial Times interview, which was published on the same day the UK’s Supreme Court ruled a bill on children’s rights went beyond the Scottish Parliament’s competence.

The National:

SNP MP Angus MacNeil has warned that the decision may be a “reality check” for independence supporters’ hopes, suggesting the Supreme Court could block a new vote from being held.

“I can’t look ahead and tell you exactly how this constitutional impasse is going to resolve itself, but it will resolve itself — and it will resolve itself on the side of democracy, because actually, the alternative is pretty unthinkable,” Sturgeon told the newspaper.

“I’ve got democracy on my side … if they think it’s about playing a waiting game, I’ve probably got time on my side as well. You look at the demographics of the support for independence – well, I’m not sure that’s going to get you out of this conundrum.”

The First Minister repeated her call for indyref2 to be a “legal, recognised constitutional process”, saying if that is not an option then “where does that leave us?”

READ MORE: Supreme Court ruling is yet more evidence of the dysfunctional British state

“The Union suddenly is no longer what it has always been, a voluntary, consensual union of nations,” she argued.

Asked about the financial costs of independence, the SNP leader argued the cost of remaining in Brexit Britain are more significant.

“We’ve just had freedom of movement taken away from us,” she pointed out. “Immigration rules are tighter. So our ability to bring people into the country is severely constrained and that is going to be an absolute stranglehold on the ability of the Scottish economy to grow.”

Today Sturgeon will meet with top EU diplomat Joao Vale de Almeida as he visits Edinburgh on a two-day Scotland trip.

Before the meeting, the Ambassador of the European Union to the UK told The National: “I am very happy to be able to visit Scotland in person and am very much looking forward to my meetings and exchanges of views.”