Scotland's First Minister and leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), Nicola Sturgeon, addresses the party's annual conference in Glasgow, Scotland October 15, 2016. REUTERS/Russell Cheyne

LONDON (Reuters) - Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Sunday it was “highly likely” that Scotland would hold a new independence referendum before 2020 after Britain voted to leave the European Union.

Asked on ITV’s Peston on Sunday program whether she would anticipate a second Scottish referendum before 2020, Sturgeon said: “I think it is highly likely given the situation we’re in ... If anything what has happened since then has probably made me think that even more so than I did the morning after the referendum.”

Scotland voted by a large margin to remain in the European Union, while overall Britain voted to leave in a referendum that has reignited talk of a split between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom. Scots rejected independence two years ago.

Sturgeon told her Scottish National Party’s annual conference last week the devolved government was preparing for all possibilities including independence after Britain leaves the EU. [nL8N1CL0CA]