A SECOND Scottish independence referendum will not take place in the near future, former Liberal leader Lord Steel has predicted.
The veteran politician said that Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was still "cautious" about a second ballot on the Union, despite the result of the European referendum.
While nearly two thirds (62%) of Scots opted to remain part of the European Union (EU), the UK as a whole voted to leave, with this result prompting the SNP leader to claim another vote on independence is "highly likely".
Lord Steel, who was the first presiding officer in the devolved Scottish Parliament, described Ms Sturgeon as a "considerable politician".
He told an audience at an Edinburgh University event held as part of the city's Fringe Festival: "I don't always agree with what she says and she's being quite cautious about this second referendum.
"She say's it's 'highly likely'. Highly likely when? And highly likely how? Just highly likely.
"It's not going to happen, I think, in the near future."
Lord Steel, who spent 32 years as an MP and was Liberal leader for 12 years, said that former prime minister David Cameron had "made a great mistake" by having a referendum on the EU.
"He will be remembered probably as the man who messed up on Europe," he said.
But he added there is "quite a case" for staging a second referendum on Europe after the terms of a Brexit deal are negotiated.
He said if those who want to leave the EU "succeed in getting some kind of deal after two years it's not going to be a very good one, it's not going to mean £350 million into the NHS or any of the other things they said during the campaign".
As a result, he argued: "So I think there is quite a case for going back to people and saying 'here's what we've actually got as distinct from all the rhetoric, let's have another go, do you approve of this or do you not?'
"I think there would be a case. I'm not keen on referenda but there would be a case for going back and doing that. And other people in some of the other parties are saying the same thing, so that may happen."
