The more the Conservative Government resists a second independence referendum, the easier it will be to persuade Scots to vote to leave the Union, Nicola Sturgeon has claimed.

Publishing a paper setting out the case for granting Holyrood the power to hold Indyref2 at the time of its choosing, the First Minister said “the tide of history” was running in her favour, while the Tory strategy was “self-defeating”.

Urging the public to get behind her position, she suggested people organise petitions and “take part in peaceful demonstrations”, to show Boris Johnson how they felt.

With the Prime Minister firmly opposed to granting Ms Sturgeon’s request for a transfer of power under Section 30 of the Scotland Act, it points to a campaign of street action in 2020.

The First Minister has said she wants a new vote on the Union late next year. MSPs yesterday passed legislation paving the way for Indyref2, but it requires a short-term Section 30 order, or a more permanent change in the law, to make it legally watertight.

The paper argues there has been a “material change of circumstance” since Scots voted 55-45 to reject independence five years ago – both “the prospect of Scotland leaving the EU against its will and what EU exit has revealed about Scotland’s position within the UK”.

Ms Sturgeon said: “Scotland made it very clear last week it does not want a Tory government led by Boris Johnson taking us out of the European Union.

That is the future we face if we do not have the opportunity to consider the alternative of independence.”

She added: “It is a fundamental democratic principle that decisions on Scotland’s constitutional future should rest with the people who live here.

“As this document lays out, the Scottish Government has a clear democratic mandate to offer people a choice on that future in an independence referendum, and the UK Government has a democratic duty to recognise that.

“Last week’s General Election has only strengthened that mandate.”

The SNP won 47 of the 59 seats in Scotland, its second-best result. Meanwhile the Tories, whose campaign had focused on opposition to an independence referendum, saw their share of the vote slip in Scotland, losing more than half their seats.

Ms Sturgeon said she expected the response from Westminster would be a “re-statement of the UK Government’s opposition”, but added: “The question is often posed to me: What will you do if the Prime Minister says no?

“But it is for the Prime Minister to defend why he believes the UK is not a voluntary union of equal nations.

“It is for him to set out why he does not believe people in Scotland have the right to self-determination. We live in a democracy, and ultimately democracy must and will prevail.”

She added: “The more they show complete and utter contempt for Scottish democracy, the more support for independence will rise. So their shortterm strategy in my view sows the seeds of their longer-term defeat. It is selfdefeating but it will not hold.

“It is not a democratic position. So I’m going to stand my ground.”

She went on: “The choice for the Tories is, do they willingly and in a reasonable fashion, as was the case in 2014, accept that, or do they seek to block that in a way that frankly makes my job easier.”

Asked if she was asking for timelimited or permanent referendum powers, she said: “My preference would be for that power to be transferred permanently. But the precedent in 2014 was for a time-limited transfer.

“That’s something I’m happy to discuss and negotiate.”

Asked if she would rule out a third independence referendum if she secured and lost a second, she refused to do so, saying: “I’m not advocating for a third independence referendum. Not least because I think when Scotland gets a chance to vote again – while I don’t take the outcome for granted – I think Scotland will vote for independence.

“I will not be the First Minister forever. I can’t say what future generations of the Scottish Parliament or future generations of the Scottish people might want to do.”

In the Commons Mr Johnson said: “I think it was Nicola Sturgeon herself who said that the referendum in 2014 was a ‘once in a generation’ event.

“I do not know about you, Mr Speaker, but I feel that the Scottish Nationalist party should concentrate more on delivering on the domestic priorities of the people of Scotland and rather less on breaking up our United Kingdom.”

The Prime Minister also mocked SNP leader Ian Blackford after he challenged him to explain why he was “denying Scotland the right to choose our own future”.

As Mr Blackford was speaking, he saw the Prime Minister reading his phone. He said: “May I say to the Prime Minister that it is not a good look to be playing with his phone rather than listening to the legitimate demands of the Scottish National party?” Mr Johnson replied: “Say something more interesting.”