A second referendum on Scottish independence will take place in October next year, a senior SNP minister announced today.
Angus Robertson said it was his government's intention to ask Scots the big constitutional question in just 15 months' time.
The Nationalist MSP dismissed Tory demands for the result of the 2014 referendum to be respected for at least 25 years.
It comes as Nicola Sturgeon yesterday claimed the UK was holding Scotland back as she published the first in a series of papers aimed at finally convincing Scots to end the Union.
Opposition parties have branded the Scottish Government as obsessed with independence and called for ministers to focus on the cost of living crisis instead.
But Robertson told BBC Radio Scotland that plans for an IndyRef2 next October were already progressing.
"The First Minister made clear yesterday that she intends to make an announcement to the Scottish Parliament in the forthcoming weeks about a route map towards a referendum which we intend to hold next October," he said.
"I am fully content that with the prospectus beginning to be rolled out, with the announcement that will follow on the route map on how that is going to be achieved, that we have a perfectly adequate window of opportunity both for legislation to be passed, for the opportunity for the people to scrutinise the prospectus that the Scottish Government will publish."
Robertson said he saw "no reason” for the UK Government to deny a section 30 order.
The constitution secretary said: “Scottish politics has a long history of the UK Government going, ‘no, no, no, yes’.
"That’s what happened in the run up to the referendum in 2014 and I still think we should work on the basis of the gold standard of democracy which is that surely all of us involved in politics agree that when the people vote for something to happen in this country, it’s what should happen."
But a former adviser to both Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon cast doubt on whether it could be delivered by then.
Campbell Gunn claimed the 2023 “timescale is very difficult”.
The former political journalist said: "We’re now 15, 16 months from when the referendum is likely to be held, we don’t have a section 30 order, it will probably end up in the courts.
"I just don’t see the timescale working for the SNP."
Sarah Boyack, Scottish Labour constitution spokeswoman, said: "This is nothing more than pie in the sky posturing from Angus Robertson.
"Thousands of Scots are facing the choice between heating and eating and the best that this SNP government can do is pluck dates out of a hat for another divisive referendum.
"Let’s be clear – this is a disappointing return to the politics of the past – the politics of strife and division.
"You cannot play politics while people’s lives and livelihoods are in the balance."
Craig Hoy MSP, chairman of the Scottish Conservatives, insisted ministers should focus on covid recovery and the cost of living crisis.
He said: "It’s clear the SNP are ramping up their push for another divisive referendum.
"Nicola Sturgeon has come close to endorsing a plan to push ahead with an illegal vote and Angus Robertson doubled down on that today.
"This reckless push for another referendum will damage Scotland when all the focus should be on Covid recovery and the global cost-of-living crisis.
"The SNP are distracted by their obsession with independence once again. They're focusing on the wrong priorities and setting back Scotland’s economy and public services as a result.
"Our public services, especially the NHS, are still struggling after the pandemic. On top of that, the war in Ukraine has sent food and energy prices soaring, leading to an unprecedented squeeze on household incomes.
"Against this backdrop, it’s a shameful dereliction of duty by the SNP Government to focus on holding a referendum that the vast majority of Scottish people don’t want."
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