BORIS Johnson has called on Nicola Sturgeon and her colleagues to “change the record” on their repeated demand for a second Scottish independence referendum a day after he, as expected, rejected the First Minister’s formal request for indyref2.

During a raucous Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Johnson exchanged political blows with Ian Blackford as both party leaders accused the other of being a “democracy denier”.

When the SNP leader raised the issue of the PM’s response to Ms Sturgeon, Conservative MPs cheered.

READ MORE: SNP's Ian Blackford calls Boris Johnson a 'democracy denier' for rejecting independence vote

Mr Blackford said: "The Prime Minister sent a letter to the First Minister of Scotland rejecting the democratic right of the people of Scotland to have a choice over their own future. This was not a surprise; the Prime Minister is a democracy denier.

"Can I say to the Prime Minister, as his colleagues privately admit, this position is undemocratic, unacceptable and completely unsustainable," declared the Highland MP.

To hear-hears from his SNP colleagues, the Highland MP accused Mr Johnson of showing “utter contempt for Scottish democracy, for Scotland’s Parliament and Scotland’s people”

He asked: “Does he accept by ignoring Scotland, imposing Brexit with its pursuance of cruel and punishing policies, that he has strengthened the case for Scottish independence?”

But the PM hit back, pointing out that it was not just Mr Blackford but also former FM Alex Salmond and Ms Sturgeon, “his protégé, who said at the time of the referendum that it was a once-in-a-generation event. He said it; they said it. They were right then. Why have they changed their mind?”

Then Mr Johnson, jabbing his finger, declared: “He is the denier, he is the denier of democracy."

Mr Blackford responded by highlighting how the Conservative Party had signed up to the Smith Commission report, which, he said, had “recognised the right of the people of Scotland to determine their own future; that’s the reality”.

He went on: “The Prime Minister lives in a fantasy land but people in Scotland know the reality of this Prime Minister's broken Brexit Britain.”

The Nationalist leader insisted the only Union Mr Johnson was interested in was the one with the US President, involving a “toxic Trump deal,” which would threaten the NHS and include the UK signing up to a “Trump agreement” on Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

“The public deserves the truth,” insisted Mr Blackford. “What backroom deals are being done with Donald Trump? Why is the Prime Minister putting our NHS at risk?" he asked to Tory barracking.

Mr Johnson pointed out how the SNP had actually welcomed the Government’s statement yesterday on the Iran nuclear deal.

“The problem with the SNP is that Scotland is the highest taxed part of the UK, the deficit is six times the UK average, maths and science in schools is going down in the PISA rankings unlike any other part of the UK; that is not the fault of the pupils, it is the fault of the Government in Scotland under the SNP for not giving them the chances they deserve because they are obsessed with breaking up the United Kingdom."

The PM then, cheered on by the Conservative benches, urged Mr Blackford's party to "change the record".