Nicola Sturgeon to make announcement in Scottish Parliament

The Scottish First Minister is said to be considering putting plans for a second referendum on hold, in favour of focusing on securing a 'soft' Brexit

Weekend reports suggested Ms Sturgeon has been considering putting a second referendum on hold (PA)

Nicola Sturgeon has announced she will be making a statement on the future of Scotland following the election.

The Scottish First Minister said on Twitter: "I'll be seeking agreement of @ScotParl to make a statement later today on the way forward for Scotland after the General Election."

In March Ms Sturgeon made a surprise announcement, saying she planned to stage a second independence referendum within two years.

Theresa May said in response that "now is not the time."

Scotland can only hold a legally binding referendum on independence with the approval of the Westminster Parliament.

Yesterday Ms Sturgeon described the Conservatives' £1bn "confidence and supply" deal with the DUP as "the worst kind of pork barrel politics."

In the general election earlier this month, Ms Sturgeon's Scottish National Party lost 21 of its 56 seats, falling to 35 per cent.

Recent polling indicates 43 per cent of Scottish people are in favour of a second independence referendum.

Ms Sturgeon had been due to give a speech on Brexit to the Association of British Insurers in London but her appearance was cancelled on Tuesday morning.

Her plans to make a statement follow reports at the weekend suggesting she is to put her demand for a second independence referendum on hold to instead focus on delivering a "soft Brexit".

The First Minister set out her timetable for a second referendum in March, saying a vote should be held between autumn 2018 and spring 2019 to give Scots - the majority of whom voted to stay in the EU - an alternative to Brexit.

But she has been "reflecting" on the plan after the snap General Election saw her party's share of the vote fall from 50% to 37% as it lost 21 Westminster seats.

The issue was discussed at the Scottish Government cabinet meeting last week, with Ms Sturgeon said to be "likely" to set out her position before Holyrood goes into recess on Thursday.