SIR TOM Hunter has declared that now is not the time to hold a second referendum on Scottish independence, and called on the leadership at Holyrood to prove they can use the administration’s devolved powers to improve the country’s fortunes.

Speaking three years after Scotland voted to remain part of the United Kingdom, the entrepreneur and philanthropist said he believes that constitutional change “should not be on the table” at present.

Sir Tom, whose Hunter Foundation offered impartial advice during the 2014 referendum debate, said: “I would say that it is gone for now, and that is correct. We had our debate, and it was a very good debate. It was a very inclusive debate. I was very proud of the way Scotland handled that debate, and we got a decision. I’m not saying it is away forever, but just now is the wrong time, and it is the wrong focus for Scotland to have another independence debate today.”

However, Sir Tom refused to close the door on Scottish independence completely. He said a further referendum could be held if Scotland’s politicians prove to voters that they can use Holyrood’s full powers to the country’s benefit.

“In my opinion, the politicians should get on, and prove [they can do a good job] with the powers they have,” Sir Tom said. “We’ve got one of the most devolved parliaments in the world, so they should prove to the voter that they can take on these powers and then, [in] five, ten, 15 years’ time, when they have proven that it is great for Scotland, [and] if the people want it, they should come back with the question.

“Just now is not the time.”

Sir Tom was speaking as he and 18 other high-profile Scottish figures were named as Entrepreneurial Founders at the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship and Strathclyde Business School in Glasgow.

Asked what he regards to be the most pressing issue to be resolved by the Brexit negotiations, Sir Tom said finding a way for international students to remain in Scotland after completing their degrees was essential.

“Strathclyde has got an international reputation, and the quality of the international students is outstanding,” he said. “A lot of them, once they have had the benefit of a brilliant Scottish, Strathclyde education, want to stay, but they can’t, so sort that.

“That is what makes Scotland better. We are providing a world class education, people are coming from all round the world to take it, and then they go back somewhere else. Surely that is wrong?

“So instead of worrying about another independence [referendum], sort some of these practical things. That’s what the politicians should be doing, that’s what we pay them for, that’s what I voted for and they should get on with the job at hand.”

Scottish Enterprise chairman, and former Wood Group boss, Bob Keiller was unveiled alongside Sir Tom as an Entrepreneurial Founder at the university. He Scotland had “bigger challenges” to face than any uncertainty caused by Brexit and the shape of the Scottish constitution

Mr Keiller said: “It’s all about focus. Our economy isn’t growing hugely. Our education system isn’t knocking the lights out in terms of comparatives and results. We’ve still got issues with poverty, we’ve still got issues with climate change, we’ve still got a load of issues that we as a society need to be managing and thinking about. Therefore we don’t need the distractions of things that are actually not relevant at this point in time, and quite rightly can be considered at a later point.

“For me it is all about priorities. You can only focus on so many things. I’d rather focus on things like how to we improve the quality of the education, how do we alleviate poverty and homelessness, how do we deal with social inequality, how do we grow economies, how do we stimulate people to come to Scotland rather than go elsewhere.”