Alex Salmond was accused of shifting his position on the EU again yesterday after he admitted Scotland would be "looking to secure its future in Europe" after independence.

It came as it emerged that the Scottish Government's top civil servant, Sir Peter Housden, was holding meetings in Brussels. Scottish ministers were forced to admit last year that they would have to negotiate an independent Scotland's EU membership. But they have insisted there would be no question that the organisation would want oil-rich Scotland.

At a press conference in London yesterday, however, the First Minister appeared to suggest to foreign journalists that a future Scotland's membership may not be secure.

He told them there would be a "negotiation after a Yes vote in the Scottish referendum, from within the context of the European Union, with Scotland looking to secure its place within that Europe."

The Better Together campaign group seized on the First Minister's comments, and a spokesman said: "For a party that is famed for its ability to flip-flop, this one takes some beating.

"Alex Salmond berated anyone who dared suggest we would not automatically be waved into the EU, no questions asked. Now he is telling us that we will have to secure our place in Europe."

Speaking at the Foreign Press Association, Mr Salmond insisted that independence was not a threat to EU membership. He said the only real threat came from eurosceptics at Westminster.

The Scottish Government last night said Sir Peter was on a two-day trip to Brussels but insisted it had nothing to do with negotiations over Scottish membership following independence.

A spokesman for the Scottish Government said that Sir Peter would be in Brussels again today.

She said: "This is a routine visit which extends the Permanent Secretary's regular engagement with staff and stakeholders in Scotland to those based in Brussels." Asked if the visit had to do with negotiations post-independence, she said: "No, it does not."