FIRST Minister Nicola Sturgeon says the demand for a second referendum on Scottish independence will become "irresistible" if the SNP "wins" the General Election.
The SNP leader said resistance to allowing Scottish voters to choose for themselves would "crumble" in the face of such a result.
She told the BBC she wants a referendum in 2020.
"If we win this election the demand becomes irresistible," she said.
Sturgeon, speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, added: "It is my intention to have a referendum next year.
"On this question of will Westminster allow it or not, we are the start of an election campaign – this is an opportunity for the people in Scotland to have their say and make their views known.
"If the SNP win this election, I think that demand becomes irresistible.
"This idea that for self-interest reasons Westminster politicians can stand in the way of people in Scotland choosing their own future, we already see that start to crumble."
Sturgeon said Labour were already "pretty much conceding" it could not stand in the way of a second independence vote and added: "I suspect it won't be too much longer until we see the Tories struggle to maintain that argument as well."
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