NICOLA Sturgeon has said she may delay her plan for a second referendum and backed off a previous claim that independence would be integral to Scotland’s economic recovery. 

The First Minister said that, although she wanted Indyref2 before the end of 2023, the timing would depend on the situation with Covid, and it could be later in the five-year parliament. 

She also said that even if a referendum was held on her preferred timetable, independence itself would not be until 2026, by when much of the recovery could be over.

Just last month, Ms Sturgeon told her party: “Independence is not a distraction from recovery. It is essential to secure a recovery that is made here in Scotland.”

Her comments drew a furious response from Alex Salmond, who wants independence talks to start in the first week after the election, who said Yes independence supporters would be “taken aback by the apparent lack of urgency”.

READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon attacks Alex Salmond for going easy on murderous Russia

Opposition parties accused the current and previous first ministers of wasting their time and energy on fighting each other instead of focusing on the nation’s priorities. 

It followed Ms Sturgeon speaking to the media in an online Q&A which laid bare the extent of her rift with her predecessor and her disdain for his new list-only Alba Party.

She rubbished Mr Salmond’s plan to deliver an ‘supermajority’ for independence at Holyrood through Alba, calling it “daft rhetoric”, and said she would refuse to pick up the phone to him if he was elected as an MSP in May and asked to work with her.

She also accused Mr Salmond and Alba of misleading their own supporters by “trying to pretend there is a shortcut” to independence, rather than “hard work”.

His ideas for breaking up the UK without a second referendum also ran the risk of putting people off independence, she said.

The SNP leader said people could either vote for “serious leadership.. or folk who want to offer deceptively simplistic soundbites to actually quite complex challenges”.

Recent polls suggest the SNP is on the brink of winning its second outright majority at Holyrood, but support for Alba could jeopardise that without adding any more Yes MSPs.

Boris Johnson has already refused to grant Indyref2 on the basis that the No vote of 2014 should stand for a generation.

Ms Sturgeon said it would be “absurd” for him to do so in the face of another pro-independence majority at Holyrood, and said she understood Whitehall was already working on how it could dictate the question and franchise for another vote.

READ MORE: High-profile Alba candidate Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh facing legal tribunal hearing

She said: “Firstly can we knock on the head of this idea for some requirement for a supermajority. There is no requirement for a supermajority for the Scottish Parliament to back a referendum. What is needed is a simple majority of MSPs who back that.

"The party who has put forward the idea of supermajority hasn’t even been willing to define what that is, so let’s not get into the position of suggesting there is some greater hurdle for the Scottish Parliament to pass to have an independence referendum than there actually is.

"People who actually want to see a referendum and who believe in independence should be very cautious about any daft rhetoric of that nature.”

She said criticism from Alba supporters that she had been too slow in pursuing independence was “nonsense”, but added a note of caution given the pandemic.

She said: “My preference would be to have the referendum and offer the choice to the people of Scotland within the first half of the parliament, which is a period that runs until the end of 2023.

"If in terms of whether that can definitely happen and if so where within that timespan a referendum would actually happen depends on the situation with Covid.

"Right now we are still in the teeth of an acute phase of a pandemic, people are still living under very serious restrictions and as long as that continues, not least because people wouldn't be able to campaign properly.

"We are finding the restrictions of this campaign difficult enough, so for a whole host of reasons we need to get out of the crisis of Covid and then put that choice to the people of Scotland.

 "So my preference is within the first half of the parliament but of course the demands and realities of Covid have to be what guides that decision."

READ MORE: Health Secretary Jeane Freeman admits moving patients into care homes was Covid 'mistake'

Mr Salmond has said that if the PM refuses to grant Indyref2 again, other tactics such as street demos, international pressure and legal actions could be used to get independence instead.

Ms Sturgeon said she understood her supporters impatience, but it would only happen “when a majority of the people of Scotland want that and vote for that in a legitimate process”.

She said: “I have spent a lot of time over the past few years building amongst our European colleagues understanding and awareness and acceptance on the concept of independence. So it’s not about saying that none of these things have a part to play in a democracy. 

“But none of them are a substitute or an alternative to getting a majority of people to vote for independence in a legal, legitimate process. 

“And I just think if you try to pretend they are you do two things in my view – neither of which are helpful. 

"Firstly, you kind of mislead the supporters of independence who desperately want it because you are trying to pretend that there is a shortcut, which there’s not. 

“And secondly, and perhaps this is even more of a concern, you run the risk of instead of persuaded the so-far unpersuaded but open-minded towards you – you run the risk of pushing them away. 

"Because, effectively what you are saying is it doesn’t matter winning a majority in a legal process, you just want to jump over that and bulldoze your way to independence.

"I don’t think what has been put forward by the Alba Party so far is credible.

"It doesn’t even pass the first test of credibility.”

READ MORE: Tom Gordon - Something doesn't smell right about the Alba Party

Asked about working with her predecessor in the next parliament, she ruled out “any kind of arrangement with Alex Salmond or with Alba”.

Asked if she would take a call from him if he wanted to discuss independence tactics after the election, she said: "I have a feeling that Alex won't be keen to pick up the phone to me any time soon."

Pressed whether she would call him about independence if the parliamentary arithmetic demanded it, she said: "No."

Responding, Mr Salmond said: "Independence supporters who are already underwhelmed at the lack of progress towards Independence over the last five years, despite there being a majority in the Parliament in favour of it, will be taken aback at the apparent lack of urgency towards Independence in the next Parliament.

“As Scotland recovers from Covid we will need the full powers of Independence to renew our economy and society, which is why the drive to independence should be a priority, not something to be delayed. 

“That is exactly why we need an independence supermajority in the Scottish Parliament.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat campaign chair Alistair Carmichael said: “Salmond and Sturgeon are once again focusing their energies on bickering with one another about independence, instead of talking about issues that really matter like education and mental health. It’s sad to see two First Ministers completely ignoring reality and the needs of the Scottish people only to push forward their referendum.

“We need to put recovery first now and Scotland needs a government which will put the needs of its people before childish feuds and constitutional conniving."

Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross said: “This is yet more confirmation from Nicola Sturgeon that if the SNP win a majority, they will hold another divisive independence referendum, regardless of what the UK Government says.”

“Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said: “Nicola Sturgeon’s blind spot on the constitution is on show yet again. The pandemic doesn’t end when the public health crisis does - our recovery should be the only priority in the next parliament.”