Scottish Conservative members who voice support for independence will be asked to hand in their membership, the party has confirmed.

Last week, Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale and Scottish Liberal Democrats leader Willie Rennie both said their members would be free to campaign for independence should there be a second referendum in the future.

Labour, the Lib Dems, and the Conservatives joined forces in the last referendum to campaign as Better Together – but it now seems unlikely there would be a repeat of that campaign in the event of another referendum, with the Conservatives being the only main party which is prepared to hold a firm anti-independence party line.

Dugdale said on Sunday she wouldn't stop her party's MPs and MSPs from campaigning for independence, explaining: "If somebody holds that view on the question of independence, I'm not going to try to shut down the debate."

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson responded to Dugdale by saying it "beggars belief" that she would offer support to her parliamentarians should they opt to back independence.