The SNP's Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has said using the next general election as a 'de facto independence referendum' is the 'best option' for his party in the absence of an agreed referendum.

Mr Flynn who last year appeared to raise doubts about the plan saying there were a number of options gave his backing to the First Minister's preferred route during a BBC interview today.

He said Scots needed to be offered a choice “sooner rather than later”, but added that debate is a good thing.

The SNP is to hold a “special democracy conference” in March to decide the way forward to secure independence, after the UK Supreme Court ruled in November that the Scottish Parliament does not have the power to hold another vote on the issue.

READ MORE: Expert warns SNP of consequence over GE de facto vote climbdown on FM

In June, and then following the court's judgment, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the SNP will fight the next general election as a de facto referendum.

However, amid considerable dissent in the party, the SNP’s National Executive Committee (NEC) yesterday set out an alternative option of contesting the next Scottish Parliament election in 2026 on that basis.

A further option was also proposed to use the next general election to seek a mandate for an agreed referendum, as the SNP have previously done.

At a meeting on Saturday, the NEC unanimously agreed the wording of a draft resolution to be debated at the conference in March.

Speaking on the BBC’s Sunday Show, Mr Flynn said: "I have very much come to the conclusion, as things stand, that a Westminster general election is the best option for us. And I’ll explain why, if that’s OK.

READ MORE: SNP MP says 'world watching' debate on de facto independence vote

"It’s primarily focused on hope. We need to offer the people of Scotland, sooner rather than later, the opportunity to do things better and to do things differently.

"The UK economy is expected to be in the longest and deepest recession of all G7 nations this coming year, we know that inflation is at a 40-year high, we know that interest rates are at levels last seen in the early 2000s, as indeed are wages, sadly. We know the damage they’ve caused.

"The alternative for us at the moment, which is put forward to us, is for Keir Starmer to become Prime Minister. But when it comes to the big issues of the day, when it comes to the membership of the single market and customs union, when it comes to freedom of movement, when it comes to Scotland’s right to democratically choose its future, Keir Starmer is very much in line with the Conservative Party.

READ MORE: Sillars calls for Sturgeon to ditch SNP's de facto referendum plan

"So I believe that it is incumbent upon us to go into that general election to say to the Scottish people, we can offer you something different, we can offer you something better, we can offer you a little bit of hope, and let’s go from there.”

However, he said there are “a broad range of views” in the party and the wider independence movement, and it is “healthy” to have a democratic debate about the issue.

Put to him that the “air is coming out the balloon a bit” and the de facto referendum plan is “deflating fairly rapidly”, Mr Flynn said: “I don’t think that’s a fair reflection. I actually think it’s a good thing.

“Conversely, I think if the First Minister, or the Scottish National Party’s NEC had gone to conference with one position, then we’d probably be getting criticised for not allowing members the opportunity to debate. But we’ve sought to grasp the thistle a little bit, for want of a better phrase – to let members have their say, and I think that’s a good and healthy debate to have.”

READ MORE: Interview: SNP's Flynn hints at doubts over de facto vote

Ms Sturgeon previously said the SNP’s preferred route remains a referendum along the same lines as 2014.

“The purpose of the special democracy conference is to allow the SNP to debate and decide which alternative route it wishes to offer the people of Scotland.”

She added: “It sets out – as I did last June – the option of contesting the next Westminster election as a de facto referendum.

“However, in the interests of a full and open debate, it also sets out the alternative option of contesting the next Scottish Parliament election on this basis.”

On the same programme polling expert Mark Diffley said most recent polls have shown a small majority in favour of independence with the "big picture" suggesting the country was split around 50-50 for either side.

However, he added that polls have have also shown that most voters think using the next GE as a de facto referendum is not a good idea.

"The issue..of the de facto referendum and which election, whether it's a general election or a Holyrood election that the party chooses, is really important," he said.

"Because the majority of voters don't think using the next general election as the de facto referendum is a good idea.

"So in terms of the next steps towards a referendum or how you fight the next election this is going to be a really really important decision the party has to make."

Labour's Ian Murray, whose party will be seeking to oust the Conservatives at the next general election and effectively make the vote a referendum on the Tories in power, criticised Mr Flynn's argument over the de facto vote.

The shadow Scottish Secretary said: “Stephen Flynn’s interview on the Sunday Show was a masterclass example of a politician out of touch with the people of Scotland.

“From desperately peddling Nicola Sturgeon’s busted flush of a ‘de facto ‘ referendum to claiming that a Labour government is no different to a Tory government, it’s clear that Flynn and his MPs are completely disconnected from the people they claim to represent.

“It’s clear that Flynn and the SNP would rather keep the Tories in power. The fact is that the SNP know that the people of Scotland are fed up with division and sabre-rattling.

“Even the most hardened SNP backbenchers know the Flynn-Sturgeon ‘de facto’ plan is a shortcut to electoral destruction.  

“It’s time up for Flynn and Sturgeon. Only Labour has a vision for building a fairer, greener Britain. Join us on that journey.”