Campaigners against Scottish independence have been accused of "blatant dishonesty" after "grossly distorting" comments made by the new European Commission president on European expansion.

Prime Minister David Cameron had claimed that Jean-Claude Juncker's remarks stating there would be no new members of the European Union in the next five years were "very important" in the run-up to the Scottish independence referendum.

While the political guidelines issued by Mr Juncker do not refer specifically to Scotland, he said the EU needs "to take a break from enlargement" to consolidate its achievements.

He added: "This is why, under my presidency of the Commission, ongoing negotiations will continue, and notably the Western Balkans will need to keep a European perspective, but no further enlargement will take place over the next five years."

Scottish Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the new EC president's spokesman had made clear that the comments did not refer to Scotland.

She said "despite that clarification", the pro-UK Better Together campaign "continues to carry bogus claims and false assertions, blatantly misrepresenting Mr Juncker".

Mr Cameron told MPs at Prime Minister's Questions today that he "wholeheartedly" agreed with Mr Juncker's remarks.

He said: "It is noticeable what he said that there wouldn't be new members joining the European Union in the next five years and I think that is very important in the context of the Scottish referendum debate."

SNP Westminster leader Angus Robertson later called on the Prime Minister to "correct the record" in the House of Commons, "withdraw the bogus assertions and apologise to the chamber".

Mr Robertson said: "It took a phone call to Mr Juncker's office from the BBC yesterday to establish that he was not referring to Scotland. Simple as that. To continue repeating and repeating the assertion that it does does not make it true - although that has become a hallmark of the No campaign's strategy.

"The No campaign are clearly guilty of distorting the newly-elected European Commission president's words to suit their ends - which is in itself a very serious matter - and we have also asked them to withdraw these bogus assertions and apologise."

Ms Sturgeon wrote to former chancellor Alistair Darling, the leader of the cross-party Better Together campaign, calling on him to "withdraw the No campaign's false claims about Scotland's future in Europe".

She insisted: "Better Together's assertions about what the new president of the European Commission has said in terms of European Union enlargement are demonstrably false.

"Your campaign deliberately misinterpreted those remarks by issuing a statement claiming that Mr Juncker had suggested an independent Scotland will not continue in EU membership.

"That claim - as Mr Juncker's office have now made completely clear - was totally without foundation.

"Despite that clarification - from the very top of the EU - Better Together's website continues to carry bogus claims and false assertions, blatantly misrepresenting Mr Juncker."

She argued that "this blatant dishonesty is a major blow to the credibility of the No campaign", and accused Better Together of being "guilty of grossly distorting remarks by the newly-elected president of the European Commission, which is an extremely serious matter".

A spokesman for Better Together said: "President Juncker's comments lay bare the full extent of the problems we would face if we left the UK. The countries who have already started the application process to join the EU face a five-year wait. As President Juncker has made perfectly clear previously, if we leave the UK, we would then have to start the application process to join.

"How long that process would take and what conditions would be attached is anyone's guess."