First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said she is ready to compromise on indyref2 with the next Tory Prime Minister.
She made clear she could haggle over the "detail" of a referendum so long as a vote takes place.
Sturgeon reached out to the Tory leadership contenders as she launched the latest in a series of papers making the case for independence.
She wants a referendum to take place in October next year, but legal uncertainty over Holyrood’s powers led the Lord Advocate to referring the bill to the Supreme Court for a ruling.
If the legislation is outwith the powers of the Parliament, Sturgeon has said she will turn the next general election into a ‘de facto’ referendum.
Her preference remains a joint agreement with Westminster and she claimed there is scope for both sides sitting round the negotiating table.
She said: “When we had the agreement in principle with David Cameron that we would have a Section 30 order to put beyond doubt the ability of the Scottish Parliament to legislate, we had a negotiation.
“And we didn’t get everything we wanted out of that negotiation, nor did David Cameron’s Government.”
“I have been part of a process where compromise has actually been at its heart. So, in principle, in terms of the detail, I will be open to a negotiation, and in any negotiation you have to be prepared to compromise.
“What I will not compromise on is the principle of people in Scotland getting the opportunity to cast their votes, and make their views known, on independence.”
She added: “It’s still the best option to have two Governments opposed on the substance coming together to agree the process. So if the new Prime Minister is open to that, I will be open to sitting down and in a spirit of compromise seeking to come to an agreement.”
She did not elaborate on which details could be subject to negotiation, but timing and aspects of the conduct of the referendum could be on table.
The Scottish Government would be highly unlikely to accept a change to the 2014 referendum question, which was a straight ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to independence.
Some pro-UK supporters have framed the independence debate as ‘leave’ versus ‘remain’, a framing blasted by the SNP.
The Tories expect to have a new leader in place by early September at the latest. None of the six remaining candidates have expressed any sympathy for an agreement on indyref2.
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