THE former MSP who chaired the Yes campaign in 2014 has called on the SNP to hold a snap indyref2 if they win a majority at next year’s election. 

Dennis Canavan said Nicola Sturgeon’s party should consider "striking while the iron is hot".

Speaking to the Daily Record, he said there was a precedent in 1997 when Tony Blair's new government held a referendum on devolution just five months after being elected.

Canavan told the paper: "I am confident that the Scottish Parliamentary election in May will produce a majority of MSPs in favour of Scottish Independence and in favour of indyref2.

"Anyone with any respect for democracy should recognise that such a Parliamentary majority constitutes a mandate for indyref2.

"If Boris Johnson is stubborn enough and foolish enough to refuse a referendum under a Section 30 order, he runs the risk of provoking a constitutional crisis which will further increase support for the cause of Independence.

"In such circumstances,the Scottish Government should consider making a legal challenge to allow the Scottish Parliament to legislate for a referendum."

He added: "I have an open mind about the exact timing of indyRef2 but I believe in striking while the iron is hot.

"I recall the successful and decisive result of the referendum to set up the Scottish Parliament in September 1997, just a few months after the May 1997 General Election.

"Such a timescale would be my preferred target but it may depend on unforeseeable events such as the response of the UK Government and our rate of recovery from the pandemic."

Last week Ian Blackford, the SNP's Westminster leader, told the Sunday National that indyref2 "will take place and we need to plan that that referendum must take place in 2021".

READ MORE: Indyref2 will be held next year, says Ian Blackford

In the exclusive interview, Blackford said: "I’ve actually never been as optimistic as I am today.

"I don’t believe that the Unionist side have arguments against us that can stack up in front of the people of Scotland. But we need to demonstrate that there’s a breadth and a depth and a diversity to the independence movement.

“And we must remain focussed on working together to secure the prize."

During the interview, Blackford said the Scottish Government had "put off holding a referendum in 2020" because "Covid has come along and the Scottish Government, in particular, has had to take its responsibilities of stewarding the country through this crisis".

The comments sparked anger among Unionists. 

Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross accused the SNP of failing to focus on guiding Scotland through the pandemic.

He said: "It beggars belief that an SNP politician should genuinely suggest that as lives and livelihoods continue to be lost, Scotland needs yet more division, chaos and uncertainty.

"Ian Blackford's commitment to a referendum a few months from now is not just irresponsible but delusional and shows how out of touch the SNP are."