MOST Scots think Holyrood, not Westminster, should have the right to decide whether to hold a second independence referendum, according to a new poll.

The Survation survey, conducted after Theresa May ruled out a referendum for at least two years, found most Scots also thought London should not be allowed to block a new vote.

The Scottish Parliament voted 69 to 59 on Tuesday in favour of Holyrood having the power to hold a referendum, with the SNP and Greens outnumbering the three Unionist parties.

Citing the vote as an expression of Scotland’s democratic will, Nicola Sturgeon is expected to send a letter to the Prime Minister asking for Holyrood to be granted the power today.

Mrs May has already said she will refuse the request, saying “now is not the time”, as it would be a distraction from the complexity of the Brexit negotiations.

Ms Sturgeon said earlier this month she wanted a new referendum between autumn 2018 and spring 2019 so Scots can choose between Brexit in the UK and pro-European independence.

Commissioned by the SNP, the Survation poll questioned 1,104 people over 16 by telephone on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.

Asked who “should have the right to decide if there should be a referendum in Scotland that would allow the people of Scotland to choose between Brexit and Independence”, 53 per cent said Holyrood, 35 per cent Westminster and 12 per cent didn’t know.

Excluding don’t knows, the preference for Holyrood over Westminster was 61 to 39.

However the response was closer when the question was who should decide the timing of such a vote, with 56 per cent saying Holyrood and 44 per cent, after excluding don’t knows.

Asked if Westminster “should have the right to block a plan for a referendum in Scotland, even if it is agreed on and voted for by the Scottish Parliament”, 58 per cent said No and 42 per cent said Yes, after excluding don’t knows.

A spokesperson for the First Minister said: “This poll shows that, in trying to block a referendum, the UK Tory Government is acting against the wishes of the people of Scotland.

“Any prolonged bid to block people having their say would be undemocratic, unsustainable and run the risk of public opinion turning even more sharply against the Prime Minister.”

Because the constitution is reserved to Westminster, Holyrood cannot hold a legally watertight referendum without the consent of the UK government.

The 2014 referendum was an agreed process between Edinburgh and London, starting with the signing of the Edinburgh Agreement in October 2012.

The power to hold a referendum was transferred to the Scottish Parliament under Section 30 of the 1998 Scotland Act in the spring of 2013, with the stipulation that the ballot contain a simple Yes/No option and the referendum had to be held before the end of 2014.

At the time, support for independence was running around 30 per cent in the polls, and the then Prime Minister David Cameron did not consider the Union was in jeopardy.

However with the support for leaving the UK consistently around 45 per cent since the No vote of three years ago, the UK Government is far more wary about granting another plebiscite.