Boris Johnson has immediately rejected Nicola Sturgeon’s demand for a second referendum on Scottish independence.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said “now is not the time” for another campaign.
Responding to the First Minister’s on air offer of direct negotiations with Boris Johnson over the powers to stage a referendum, Downing Street issued a flat denial.
The PM’s spokesman said: “The UK government’s position is that now is not the time to be talking about another referendum.
“We are confident that the people of Scotland want and expect their governments to be working together to focus on issues like the global cost of living challenges, like the war in Europe and the issues that matter to their families and their communities.”
He added: “The position on the referendum remains unchanged. It’s not something the prime minister believes the public want either government to be focused on at a time when there are other challenges facing them right now.
“First and foremost we want to continue to work with the Scottish government on those issues that are affecting the public right now.”
The SNP leader, flanked by Scottish Green co-leader Patrick Harvie, insisted at her press conference that she has an “indisputable democratic mandate” for another vote.
But in order to hold a legal referendum, the UK government must give the Scottish Parliament a so-called Section 30 order which Johnson has repeatedly refused to do claiming that the outcome of the “once in a generation” 2014 vote must be respected.
At her press conference Sturgeon said that she would outline how a referendum could be staged “in a lawful manner” but shut down questions on how or when a referendum could take place without Section 30 powers.
She said: “My intention is that it will be before the end of next year. I think there is the ability to do that and I will set out the path that I think achieves that very soon.”
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