NICOLA Sturgeon is hopeful people in Scotland will back independence “in the not too distant future” as she battles to protect the country’s position in the European Union following the Brexit vote in June.

The First Minister made the point as she addressed hundreds of members of Europe’s 46 Green parties who began a three-day conference in Glasgow yesterday.

She urged the politicians and activists attending to spread the word that Scotland wants to remain in the EU when they return to their home countries, before saying that when they come back to Glasgow she was hopeful it would be to a city in an independent European state.

“This has been the first time you have held your conference in Glasgow, and I hope it is not the last,” she said.

“We hope that when you come back to Glasgow in the not too distant future it will be to a city in an independent Scotland that is a member of the European Union.”

During her address Sturgeon hit back at “arrogant dismissals” of a separate Brexit arrangement for Scotland after it was ruled out by Chancellor Philip Hammond, who said special arrangements on immigration and trade for Holyrood were “not a realistic prospect” when he visited Edinburgh on Thursday.

She said such a scenario which ignored Scotland’s interests was “not acceptable” and would raise the need for a new vote on independence.

Her government is currently consulting on a draft referendum bill which she will bring forward if she considers independence the best way of protecting Scotland’s interests.

“Coming up with a special arrangement for Scotland will be complex and not straightforward, but it is absolutely essential if there is any respect for Scotland’s voice on the part of the UK Government that they listen to the proposals we put forward.

“Arrogant dismissals of different options for Scotland as we’ve heard in the last few days simply send a message that Scotland’s voice does not matter and that is not acceptable,” she told the European Green Party audience at Strathclyde University.

“If that is the message of the UK Government, that no matter what Scotland thinks or wants or votes for that we simply have to accept whatever hard Brexit – with all the damage to our economy, our society, our culture, our place in the world that that will do – then it is hardly surprising that the question of Scottish independence arises again.

“So we are also in Scotland making preparations that would enable us to hold another independence referendum if independence does become the only way to make sure our voice is heard, to make sure we have a say in the direction that we want our country, our economy, and our society to take.”

The First Minister is due to publish options in the next few weeks focused on keeping Scotland in the European single market, even if the UK pursues a hard Brexit.

She said Scottish nationalism was an inclusive movement, embracing people who had settled in the country regardless of where ever were from in the world, and contrasted it with the rhetoric advanced by the Leave campaign.

“If you have been watching UK politics over the last few months, I shudder to think what impression you will have. I still feel contempt that many in the Leave campaign have given succour to the racism and intolerance of the far right,” she said.

“Now I don’t believe for a second the 17 million who voted Leave are xenophobic or anti-immigration. But the Leave vote has undoubtedly been hijacked by the hard right of the Tory Party.”

Patrick Harvie, the Scottish Greens co-convener, argued that the UK Government appeared unwilling to respect Scotland’s wish to remain in the EU and make any appropriate arrangements to reflect the 62 per cent Remain vote north of the Border. “This democratic deficit is particularly important given the constitutional history of Scotland, which understands that sovereignty lies with the people,” he said.

“As Greens, we have our differences with the SNP government in Scotland. From time to time, we’ll continue to disagree, hopefully in a constructive spirit, without opportunism. But on this critical challenge, to safeguard Scotland’s place in Europe, we are in strong agreement.”

It is the first time the European Green Party, a network of 46 allied parties across the continent, has held its council in Scotland. The conference is the biggest European event to be held in the country since the EU referendum in June.