Nicola Sturgeon will ask the permission of Holyrood to open talks with Westminster on a referendum vote

Nicola Sturgeon shocked her political opponents and Westminster in equal measure today when she announced her intention to hold a second referendum on Scottish independence.

The first minister said she would hold a fresh poll within the next two years to prevent Scotland being taken out of the European Union “against its will”.

Ms Sturgeon said she had become frustrated with the UK government’s refusal to compromise in any way over Brexit and had decided that Scots needed to be given a proper choice on the way forward for their country.

It came as Downing Street sources suggested that Theresa May will not trigger the Brexit process immediately, as she had been expected to do. It will lead to accusations that she has been spooked