A SECOND candidate standing to be Nicola Sturgeon’s SNP deputy has said there should be a second independence referendum in this parliament.

Activist Julie Hepburn said there was “no doubt” the First Minister had a mandate for a new vote, and should use it before the next Holyrood election in 2021.

Ms Hepburn’s tougher line on a referendum adds to pressure on Ms Sturgeon to push for independence when she updates MSPs on a “precise time scale” in the autumn.

The First Minister initially announced plans for a referendum in March last year, but “reset” her plans after the SNP lost 21 MPs in last June’s snap election.

The Yes movement is now split over whether Ms Sturgeon should use her “triple lock mandate” to demand a new vote, or play a longer game and wait for a shift in the polls.

Inverclyde councillor Chris McEleny had previously been the only hopeful in the depute leadership contest calling for a swift referendum, demanding one by the end of 2019.

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Ms Hepburn’s comments, in a mini-hustings on STV’s Scotland Tonight programme, leave Economy Secretary Keith Brown as the only candidate without a hard timescale.

Mr Brown said he wanted to “wait and see” what emerged from the Brexit process.

Asked about her timescale, Ms Hepburn said: “At the earliest possible opportunity. There’s no doubt that we have a mandate to have a referendum.”

Asked if that meant during the current parliament, she said: “Yes, of course, of course.”

She added: “The case for independence has never been stronger. We fought the last referendum about why Scotland should be independent.

“The next time it’s going to be about why we need to be independent as a matter of urgency.

“The First Minister will make that decision based on a number of factors, but she is more likely to have an earlier referendum if we are out there actually campaigning for independence now. So I don’t think we need to wait for a date.

“I think we need to get out there, launch a fresh campaign for independence.”

Asked what would happen if Theresa May again refused to allow a referendum, Ms Hepburn said: “I think that would pretty much guarantee independence. I don’t think she would be able to ignore that democratic mandate… We have a mandate to hold that referendum and I have no doubt that we will hold that referendum.”

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Mr McEleny said the key role of depute leader “on day one” should be “getting the new Yes Scotland campaign up and running”.

He went on: “Just look at what’s happening to the UK at the moment within a Scottish context. Our parliament and devolution is under threat. Child poverty is increasing. Food bank use is on the increase. And that is all on the watch of the UK government.

“I don’t think there’s a better time than right now to have an independence campaign. We’re ready to go. That’s why we should have that referendum, and I think people across Scotland are ready to grasp their own future with two hands this time.”

Mr Brown said the Brexit-related “power grab” of devolved powers was a “material change in circumstances”, adding to the case for a referendum, but did not put a date on it.

He said: “The First Minister has said that we have to wait and see, and the public has to wait and see, what the implications of Brexit are first. I think that’s very important.

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“The proposal has to go to the other 27 members of the EU states in October this year. So we know it’s coming soon. But we have to wait and see what that brings.

“I think it’s very important, whether the referendum was next year or the year after, that we use the time in between now and then to make sure we’re as well prepared as possible.”

The more urgent tone from Mr McEleny and Ms Hepburn make Mr Brown sound the most cautious of the three, but he could also benefit from a split in the ‘referendum now’ vote.

The SNP’s 100,000 members will choose the winner by the party’s conference on June 8.