Nicola Sturgeon: Scotland could 'reaffirm its vote to remain in the EU'

First Minister and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said her party's MPs would back a second EU referendum to allow the people of Scotland to "reaffirm its vote to remain in the EU".

Speaking to the BBC's Sarah Smith, she said: "The reason I said SNP MPs will vote for another EU referendum - if that comes before the House of Commons I don't know whether it will - is if that opportunity presents itself, I don't think it would be right for us to stand in the way of people elsewhere in the UK getting the chance to change their minds and it would also, I think, be odd for us not to grasp an opportunity for Scotland to reaffirm its vote to remain in the EU."

Ms Sturgeon, who was being interviewed on the second day of her party's conference, added: "I will be very frank, it doesn't necessary resolve the problems Scotland found itself in, yes we can look at options that might protect Scotland's position, but fundamentally the only real protection for Scotland against having decisions imposed on us against our will is for Scotland to become independent.

"That is one of the advantages of independence, of course that also gives us the opportunity to steward our own resources and build the better fairer society we want to see."