EU referendum: Nicola Sturgeon says second Scottish independence referendum “more likely than not” while she is First Minister
Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon has said a second Scottish independence referendum is "more likely than not" to occur while she is First Minister.
In an interview with the Sunday Herald, Sturgeon said of a second referendum during her premiership: "Do I think it's more likely than not? Yes."
While David Cameron has said there would not be a second referendum while he is Prime Minister, the Scottish National Party's manifesto states Holyrood should have the right to hold a referendum if there is clear and sustained evidence that Scots desire it.
Read more: SNP support falls but Sturgeon won't be worried
Speaking to BBC's the Andrew Marr Show, Sturgeon similarly said: "I want Scotland to be independent, I think it's the best future for our country so clearly I would like to see a second referendum, I would like to see Scotland be independent and I would like to see that sooner rather than later."
She added that conditions would need to be met before a second vote, stating the "clear and sustained evidence" would be one or more opinion polls that indicate most Scots favour independence.
Sturgeon added that a Leave vote in the EU referendum would strengthen calls for a rerun of the 2014 vote.
Read more: Most Scots want to remain part of the EU
Still, she'd rather a Remain vote.
Most Scots back Remain, and Sturgeon has previously said she would be very likely to regard the UK voting to leave the EU, but Scotland voting to remain, as a "trigger" justifying a second referendum.
The First Minister's comments come ahead of the Scottish parliamentary election next week, in which the Scottish National Party are expected to be overwhelmingly victorious.