IAN Blackford, the new SNP leader at Westminster, has made clear that the party will, for the time being, focus on "protecting Scotland's interests in Brexit" as speculation mounted that Nicola Sturgeon is about to put plans for a second independence referendum on hold.

The Highland MP stressed that the SNP remained "the party of Scottish independence" but then said that it had to "actually focus on the priorities which are there in front of us" such as working for the best deal when the UK left the European Union.

“It's protecting Scotland's interests in Brexit, making sure we can deliver an alternative to austerity," he declared.

Over the weekend, it was suggested that the First Minister, after having gone through her period of reflection following the General Election result, had decided to shelve plans for a second independence vote on Scotland’s future and instead campaign for delivering a soft Brexit.

Her spokesman, when asked about the suggestions, did not deny them but simply said they were "entirely speculative".

The First Minister set out her timetable for a second referendum in March, saying a vote should be held between autumn 2018 and spring 2019 to give Scots - the majority of whom voted to stay in the EU - an alternative to Brexit

But since the June 8 election she has been "reflecting" on plans to hold another independence vote after the snap general election saw her party's share of the vote fall from 50 per cent to 37 as it lost 21 Westminster seats.

The issue was discussed at the Scottish Government cabinet meeting last week with Ms Sturgeon "likely" to set out her position before Holyrood goes into recess at the end of June.

One senior SNP insider was reported as saying that in the wake of the election result the party leadership was now "doing everything possible to help achieve a soft Brexit for the UK as a whole or Scotland is the priority".

The insider added: "People can judge on the other side of the negotiations what they want to do about independence."

Branding the reports “entirely speculative,” a spokesman for the FM said: "We have always made clear our view that the people of Scotland should have a choice at the end of the Brexit process and the First Minister will set out her views on the way forward in the coming days."

But Mr Blackford said a key part of his job as Westminster leader was working to "get the best deal for Scotland out of Brexit".

Speaking on the BBC's Sunday Politics Scotland, he said: "One of the things is important is if we're going into the Brexit negotiations we need to wait and see what the outcome of that is.

"What we have continually said is that the people of Scotland, just like the members of any other European nation...should be able to have their say on the final outcome of Brexit."

He added: "What I'm doing is concentrating on the job I have, along with my colleagues at Westminster, which is standing up for Scotland. It's making sure we get the best deal for Scotland out of Brexit, challenging the Tories on austerity and, of course, the SNP is the party of independence."

His colleague Tommy Sheppard, the MP for Edinburgh East, said that if, on the back of the election, there was now a chance of a bespoke deal for Scotland on Europe, then it would be sensible to “park the timetable” for a second independence referendum so that Scots could see the “likely parameters of the Brexit process”.

But Scottish Labour said the SNP administration was “in chaos over indyref2”.

James Kelly, its election campaign manager, said the Nationalists were mired in confusion over the future of another independence referendum and that it was “eating up the energy of a government with a failing record”.

He added: "Nicola Sturgeon needs to rule a referendum out this week and pledge to get back to the day job."

Jackson Carlaw, the Scottish Conservative deputy leader, added: "Rather than kicking indyref2 into the long grass, Nicola Sturgeon needs to take the threat of a second independence referendum off the table altogether.”