Boris Johnson and Alister Jack have once again firmly resisted a wave of SNP pressure over allowing Holyrood a second vote on Scottish independence with the Scottish Secretary rejecting demands for a transfer of constitutional power to Edinburgh, saying it would “end up in a series of neverendums”.

At the first PMQs of the new parliamentary session, SNP leader Ian Blackford suggested it was the people of Scotland rather than the Prime Minister who should determine the nation’s future.

Mr Johnson responded by saying: “It is the people of Scotland who voted decisively only four or five years ago to stay members of the most successful political partnership in history by a decisive majority in a once-in-a-generation choice.”

Mr Blackford, noting how the SNP won its election landslide on the premise of “Scotland’s right to choose its own future,” asked why the Johnson Government was “dismissing the will of the people of Scotland, ignoring their voice and disregarding our Parliament?”

But the PM claimed the Nationalists kept going on about independence to distract people from their “abundant failures in government,” including “mismanaging…healthcare”.

Mr Johnson declared: “Concentrate on what you are doing and stop going on about breaking up the Union.”

Brendan O’Hara, the SNP for Argyll and Bute, twice had to start his question after beginning with the words “Margaret Thatcher,” which each time got a rousing cheer from the Tory benches.

He asked the PM that if he rejected the Scottish Government’s mandate for indyref2, what mechanism was there for voters to give their consent or otherwise to maintain the Union.

Mr Johnson replied there was a mechanism, declaring: “It was used in 2014; it is a referendum. It took place, and as SNP members all confirmed, it was a once-in-a-generation event.”

Earlier, in a fractious Scottish Questions, Mr Jack, making his debut, faced a barrage of questions from SNP MPs over indyref2.

Amy Callaghan, the new Nationalist MP for East Dunbartonshire, accused the Government of a “blinding contradiction” ie it claimed to have a mandate to implement Brexit on the back of a 43 per cent share of the vote but that the Scottish Government did not have one to hold a second referendum on the back of a 45 per cent share.

Mr Jack insisted the Tory Government was “speaking for the majority of Scots,” stressing: “We are absolutely respecting that[2014] decision whereas the SNP are not respecting it and want to tear up the UK.”

Neil Gray, the SNP MP for Airdrie and Shotts, to encouragement from colleagues asked the Secretary of State: “What is his democratic case for denying the people of Scotland their democratic right to choose?”

Mr Jack, replied: “We are very clear about this; constitutional matters are reserved. It would be completely wrong for us to hand those powers over to the Scottish Parliament because we would end up in a series of neverendums; bad for the Scottish, bad for Scottish jobs, reducing tax income and, therefore, damaging already failing public services.”