SNP members are pushing for a debate at the party's upcoming conference on whether the next Westminster election should be used as a de facto independence referendum.
The National understands that a draft resolution has been submitted to the SNP conference committee ahead of the party’s national assembly next weekend.
It comes after the new Prime Minister Andy Burnham said that another referendum on Scottish independence is "off limits".
During a meeting last month between Burnham and First Minister John Swinney, the pair discussed the constitution.
The Scottish Government claimed that during the meeting, Burnham agreed to a further conversation on the constitution, including Scotland's right to choose its own future.
However, the UK Government later reiterated its view that another referendum wouldn't be happening.
With the SNP conference set to go ahead in Aberdeen in October, members have submitted a draft resolution which reads: “As the UK Government has rejected the Scottish Government’s request to promote an Order in Council under section 30 of the Scotland Act 1998 (as amended), conference directs the Scottish National Party leadership to immediately negotiate with political parties and the wider independence movement to prosecute the next UK general election as a plebiscite election to leave the union.”
The National has been told that it is garnering support from other branches, with concerns from some members that no resolution promoting a plebiscite election will ultimately be chosen.
At the last main SNP conference in October last year, SNP members backed John Swinney's plan to declare a mandate for a second independence referendum if the party won a majority of seats in the Holyrood election.
The First Minister’s strategy was ultimately endorsed ahead of a bid to make the Holyrood vote a de-facto vote on independence.
Swinney told members in Aberdeen at the time that his proposals were the most realistic way of pursuing the goal given the previous precedent which brought about the 2014 referendum.
The party ultimately fell short of a majority, although a Scottish Greens surge means Holyrood now has a historic high of pro-independence MSPs.
