KEITH Brown has defended his party’s decision to hold an independence conference in Dundee on the same day as an All Under One Banner rally in Stirling. 

The pro-independence group last week accused the SNP of treating supporters with contempt after creating the clash on June 24. 

They had invited Humza Yousaf to speak at the rally, saying that Yes voters expected the leader of the SNP to take part.

However, the First Minister turned it down on Friday and said another “senior member of the SNP team” would attend instead. 

READ MORE: Humza Yousaf could yet fight general election as 'de facto' referendum

On Saturday, Mr Brown - the SNP’s depute leader - announced the members-only independence convention would also be on June 24, creating a diary clash. 

The meeting was supposed to have been held in March, but was delayed after Nicola Sturgeon’s shock resignation.

In a tweet, All Under One Banner said: “We wrote to Humza inviting him to speak at Stirling 24 June, and received a weird reply – swiftly followed by news that he’s chosen to clash with the national demonstration by holding an SNP conference on the same day.

“Why? Reactionary and contemptuous. De facto anti-YES behaviour.”

Speaking to the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland, Mr Brown said: “I think it’s unfortunate when parts of the Yes movement have that kind of go at each other, to be honest.

“I’ve attended any number of AUOB marches, have spoken at many of them indeed, and in this case, this is the last week before the summer recess, this is the date which the SNP need to have its discussion on.”

Mr Brown went on to say there should be “different activities” held across the Yes movement, adding: “There’s nothing wrong with the SNP, its members, demanding and having the opportunity to discuss a strategy for the way forward for independence and the next Westminster election.”

The former minister added that the SNP was “perfectly entitled” to discuss its strategy on independence, saying: “We’re not going to achieve independence without a wider Yes movement, just as the wider Yes movement won’t achieve it without the SNP.”

READ MORE: Stephen Flynn hints at supporting Labour without Indyref2 deal

Mr Brown was also asked about the possibility of using the next general election as a “de facto referendum.”

Over the weekend, Jamie Hepburn, the Minister for Independence, confirmed the idea, first floated by Ms Sturgeon last year as a way around a Westminster block, would be “on the table” at the June meeting. 

The former first minister’s exit was, in part, because she did not want to push through with the plan. 

The candidates to replace her all distanced themselves from it during the leadership contest.

Many of the party's MPs privately warned that the idea of claiming half the votes cast plus one as a mandate for independence would unworkable as the UK Government would simply refuse to acknowledge a win.

Mr Brown said: “That has to be put to the UK Government, why do they want to deny democracy?”

He added: “It’s the UK Government that is acting peculiarly, wrongly and in my view like a rogue state.

“We are trying to find a democratic route through to express the democratic wishes of the people of Scotland, as they’ve endorsed in repeated elections.”