THE TORIES have seemingly ruled out a second independence referendum for another “25 or 40” years.

Secretary of State for Scotland, Alister Jack, made the comments in an interview with the BBC yesterday.

He made clear the UK Government would refuse any request for a Section 30 order “for a generation”.

Nicola Sturgeon compared it to Donald Trump’s refusal to accept Joe Biden’s victory as president.

When asked if ministers were ruling out a referendum for the full term of the next Scottish Parliament, even if a pro-independence majority was returned, Jack said “it’s no for a generation”.

Asked to define a generation, he said: “Is it 25 years or is it 40 years? You tell me.

“But it’s certainly not six years, nor 10."

Jack added: “It’s very clear that it’s no because a generation hasn’t passed.

“We’ve had two referenda in the last six years and they’ve been quite divisive for our society. They create quite a lot of uncertainty for business. What we need to do now is refocus on building our economy and give business certainty.

“That creates more jobs. That improves people’s livelihoods."

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Responding to the interview on social media, the First Minister tweeted: “As we’re seeing across the Atlantic just now, politicians who rage against democracy don’t prevail. Let’s not dignify this rubbish.

“Instead let’s keep making and winning the case for independence. Power doesn’t belong to politicians – it belongs to the people. #indyref2.”

Asked if the comments were government policy, Boris Johnson’s spokesman later said: “The PM has said on countless occasions that the issue of independence was settled when the Scottish people voted decisively to remain part of the UK.

“It was billed at the time as a once-in-a-generation vote and the Prime Minister has been clear that he believes that must be respected.”

Asked if Johnson would agree that a “generation” would be between 25 and 40 years, the spokesman said: “The fact is that people voted to keep our United Kingdom together. It was billed at the time as a once-in-a-generation vote.”

The SNP’s shadow Scotland secretary Mhairi Black said the Tory position was “completely unsustainable, undemocratic and doomed to fail”.

She also pointed out that Jack had contradicted himself.

In 2019 he had agreed with Ruth Davidson that the SNP winning a majority at the next Holyrood election would be a mandate for a Section 30 order.

He said: “Because the democratic mandate for a Section 30 order is a matter for 2021. We’ll see whether or not the Scottish National Party get a majority then.

“I mean the Scottish National Party – not in collaboration with other parties, not in any alliances – but a Scottish National Party majority”.

Black said: “Just as Donald Trump will have to accept the will of the people if the US election goes against him, so will Boris Johnson has to accept the will of the people of Scotland in next year’s Holyrood election.

“With poll after poll concluding that independence is now becoming the settled will of the majority of people in Scotland, it’s telling that Alister Jack is shamelessly shifting the goalposts given his previous contradictory comments over a second referendum – the Tories are rattled.

Jack’s comments echoed similar ones made by former leader Jackson Carlaw last year.

Speaking at the Scottish Tory manifesto launch, he ruled out indyref2 until at least 2054.