When will indyref2 come? Nicola Sturgeon admits she '˜doesn't know'

Nicola Sturgeon has admitted that she does not know when she will call a second Scottish independence referendum.

The Scottish First Minister shelved plans for a second independence referendum after her party suffered a setback at the general election. Picture: PA

The First Minister shelved plans for a second independence referendum after her party suffered a setback at the general election (see video), but had claimed it was likely that a vote would still take place before 2021.

Ms Sturgeon said she recognised that people in Scotland were not ready to make another decision on the future of Scotland at a time when uncertainty surrounded the outcome of Brexit.

Her admission was made in an interview with the New Statesman that saw her reflect on her decision to react to the Brexit vote by calling for indyref2.

Asked whether the timescale remained roughly the same she told the New Statesman, she replied: “The honest answer to that is: I don’t know.”

She maintained it was “deeply wrong” for Scotland to be taken out of the EU without the ability to make its own decision, but she indicated that she had yet to decide “whether” to hold another vote and recognised people were not ready for a second plebiscite.

“I recognise, as well – and it’s obviously something I have reflected on – that understandably people feel very uncertain about everything just now, partly because the past few years have been one big decision after another,” Ms Sturgeon said.

“That’s why I said before recess that I will not consider any further the question of a second referendum at this stage. I’m saying, OK, people are not ready to decide we will do that, so we have to come back when things are clearer and decide whether we want to do it and in what timescale.”

Her remarks represent a major change of stance from her original demand for a referendum between autumn next year and spring 2019 in the wake of the Brexit vote.

Although welcomed by ardent independence supporters, her call for another referendum played badly with the Scottish electorate at large and was blamed for the SNP losing 21 seats at the June General Election.

The Scottish First Minister shelved plans for a second independence referendum after her party suffered a setback at the general election. Picture: PA

Following the election, Ms Sturgeon “reset” her position in the summer saying she would delay a referendum bill until the end of the Brexit talks towards the end of next year. But she added at the time that it was “still likely” that indyref2 would be held before the 2021 Scottish election.

Her retreat from that position was interpreted by her political opponents as an acknowledgement that her independence “dream” was over.

Scottish Conservative constitution spokesman Adam Tomkins said: “Perhaps this admission from Nicola Sturgeon explains why the SNP has been so rattled of late.

“For the nationalists their dream is over - they know another divisive and disruptive independence referendum is not going to happen in their lifetime.”