Alex Salmond predicted there will be a second referendum on Scottish independence within two years

Former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond has claimed there will be a second independence referendum within two years.

Mr Salmond said another vote will be needed if Scotland wants to remain in the European Union.

His comments put him at odds with SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, who has been insisting publicly that independence is only one of several options to keep the country in the single market.

And a survey released this week said more than half of Scots oppose a second referendum.

Mr Salmond, who failed in his bid to tear Scotland out of the UK in 2014, made his latest comments ahead of the second anniversary of the referendum tomorrow.

During the first independence campaign, he said the vote was a ‘once in a generation’ opportunity for Scots.

But in an interview with the UK arm of Russia Today, Mr Salmond said there could be a second chance if Scotland is not properly represented in Brexit negotiations.

He said: ‘I would expect Nicola Sturgeon to fulfil her mandate to keep Scotland within the single marketplace.

‘I would expect her to give Theresa May the opportunity to embed Scotland within the negotiations to enable that to happen.

‘I fully expect, my reading of the situation is, the UK will not be flexible or wise enough to do that – and therefore I expect there will be a Scottish referendum in roughly two years’ time.’

Mr Salmond said he expects Nicola Sturgeon to keep Scotland in the single marketplace - although this will require another referendum

But a poll published earlier this week found there has been no surge in support for independence since the EU referendum – and that Scots do not want a rerun of 2014.

Pollster Ipsos Mori asked Scots how they would vote if a referendum were held immediately. Among those who would be very likely or certain to vote, 48 per cent backed independence, while 52 per cent supported remaining in the UK.

Support for a second ballot in the next two years stood at 41 per cent, while 54 per cent opposed such a move and the remainder did not know.

Mr Salmond also predicted that the government would not be 'flexible or wise enough' to embed Scotland in negotiations about the single marketplace

There were clear if unsurprising divisions on the issue, with 84 per cent of Yes voters supporting another vote and 92 per cent of No voters opposing.

A spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives said: ‘In his attempt to claim some publicity, Alex Salmond seems willing to throw a pall of uncertainty over Scotland’s future, just at the very moment when we need some stability.

‘Only this week, polls showed – again – that a clear majority of Scots do not want a second, divisive referendum.

‘The SNP needs to listen for once, put aside its obsession with independence and get back to sorting out the problems it has created in government over the last ten years.’

Earlier this week, Miss Sturgeon told MSPs a ‘hard Brexit’ – where Britain would lose its membership of the European single market – would be enough to cause her to hold another referendum. She also claimed there is a ‘real risk’ that the UK will face a ‘lost decade or more’ outside the EU – but that independence could help Scotland avoid that.

Mr Salmond said he expects Nicola Sturgeon to deliver on her promise of remaining in the single market

She added that the ‘least worst option’ for the UK was to remain a full member of the single market or of the European Economic Area.

An SNP spokesman said: ‘We have still had no clues from the UK Government on what their meaningless mantra – “Brexit means Brexit” – actually means in practice.