TORY ministers have rowed back on plans for a referendum act which would require at least half of Scotland’s entire electorate to vote for independence before negotiations would start. 

Reports over the weekend suggested that the measures were being considered by Liz Truss’s government in the event that the Supreme Court rules that SNP plans to stage a plebiscite without UK consent next year are lawful.

However, Alister Jack, who has been reappointed as Secretary of State for Scotland, told the Daily Mail that the legislation would not be brought forward. 

“We don't need to bring forward a bill on rules for a second independence referendum because we are not having a referendum,” the Tory minister told the paper. 

The report, which initially appeared in the Sunday Times, also suggested polls would need to show that at least 60 per cent of voters want a new referendum on independence before the UK government would even consider it.

It was raised in Parliament on Thursday morning by the SNP’s new shadow leader of the Commons, Deidre Brock. 

The Edinburgh North and Leith MP has swapped roles with Pete Wishart, who will now lead for the party on the environment, food and rural affairs. 

Ms Brock asked the new leader of the House of Commons, Penny Mordaunt, to confirm the reports. 

She told the Tory minister that the newspaper reports had “caused quite a stir in Scotland over the weekend by reporting her government plans to introduce a Referendum Bill, setting out the rules under which it will permit the Scottish people a choice in their future again.”

Ms Brock asked: “Will the leader confirm that that is in fact their intention? I'd remind her that if the arbitrary threshold suggested was applied to the conservative leadership election, then the member of the Southwest Norfolk would not be Prime Minister and the campaign to leave the EU, as well as the Conservative’s 2019 election bid would have fallen well short in England, let alone Scotland. 

“Clearly, the leader's government hasn't learned anything from the last time Scots were cheated out of the results of a referendum in 1979.

“The good news for us is in such desperate attempts to rig our independence referendum really exposes the desperation in the unionist ranks.

“When we hold that referendum, we're going to win it.”

Ms Mordaunt said all members of Ms Truss’s new cabinet “believe in holding to the results of referendum. And I think that is a very encouraging thing.”

Andrea Leadsom, who served as leader of the House of Commons under Theresa May, welcomed Ms Mordaunt to her post, describing it as the “most brilliant job and I think she will serve with great distinction.” 

The Tory also praised Mr Wishart, saying he had been “brilliant and funny all the way through” his seven years in the post. 

She also wished Ms Brock “much luck”. 

Dame Andrea then asked Ms Mordaunt to assure the Commons that she will not give the SNP “any possibility whatsoever for doing anything to tear apart our great United Kingdom while she remains leader?”

Ms Mordaunt repeated that her cabinet colleagues “respect the results of referendums.”