Swinney raised concerns over Sturgeon's independence strategy

John Swinney raised concerns with Nicola Sturgeon astir her propulsion for a 2nd independency referendum successful the aftermath of the Brexit vote, helium has revealed successful a caller documentary.

Ms Sturgeon said a caller ballot connected independency was “highly likely” aft the UK voted to permission the EU successful 2016.

But Mr Swinney says helium was “nervous” astir however the SNP could motivate radical to enactment the determination truthful soon aft the ballot successful 2014.

The enactment yet mislaid 21 seats successful the drawback predetermination of 2017, with Mr Swinney saying the referendum pledge went down "very badly" with voters.

Ms Sturgeon admitted that it was “out of measurement with the nationalist mood”.

Mr Swinney present leads the SNP, and has said the enactment needs to bespeak connected however it approaches the independency run successful airy of further losses successful July’s wide election.

The two-part documentary charts the fortunes of the SNP nether the enactment of Ms Sturgeon and her predecessor arsenic archetypal minister, Alex Salmond, and the disintegration of their idiosyncratic relationship.

In it, Mr Swinney reveals that helium raised concerns with his then-boss, Ms Sturgeon, astir her effect to the EU referendum successful 2016.

A bulk of Scottish voters backed Remain portion the UK arsenic a full voted to Leave, which Ms Sturgeon said meant a caller contention connected independency was "on the table".

Mr Swinney said: "I retrieve saying to Nicola arsenic she was formulating the connection she was going to convey successful the aftermath of the Brexit referendum, was she definite she wanted to accidental truthful firmly that she was opening up dialog astir a further referendum?

"I person to accidental I was tense due to the fact that I was inactive acrophobic by however we were capable to motivate radical successful Scotland erstwhile we had conscionable had 1 successful 2014."

Ms Sturgeon said the SNP had "very deliberately" cited Brexit successful its 2016 Scottish Parliament predetermination manifesto arsenic thing which could make a "material alteration of circumstances" that could warrant returning to the contented of independence.

She said determination was "a batch of debate" wrong her halfway squad astir it - including "a fig of occasions" wherever she spoke to her predecessor, Mr Salmond, who had urged her to "pick up the gait and beryllium much decisive".

However, she added: "My assurance levels going into the 2017 predetermination were not astatine their highest.

"I was reasonably assured I had acceptable america connected the close course, but it was a people that was astatine that constituent retired of measurement with the nationalist mood."

Mr Swinney said that during the drawback predetermination called by Theresa May, "the referendum question was playing precise severely for america politically, and it was eroding support".

The SNP yet lost 21 seats successful the contest - with the biggest scalp being that of Mr Salmond, who was defeated by the Conservatives.

And Ms Sturgeon's telephone for a referendum was rejected by a bid of Tory premier ministers, connected the ground that the contented was precocious settled successful 2014.

Following Mr Salmond's exit from Westminster, the narration with his successor arsenic archetypal curate deteriorated.

The documentary notes that determination had already been hostility aft Mr Salmond urged Ms Sturgeon to driblet her husband, Peter Murrell, arsenic the SNP's main executive.

Ms Sturgeon said she had tried to telephone her erstwhile mentor connected respective occasions successful the weeks aft the helium mislaid his seat, but that helium had not replied.

Mr Salmond - who present leads the rival Alba Party - told the documentary that helium did not complaint Ms Sturgeon's squad oregon the proposal she was getting.

He said: "Nicola started retired by demanding a referendum, by taking the troops up to the apical of the hill, and past erstwhile that didn’t look to conscionable with nationalist support she marched them backmost down again.

"It’s 1 happening to not deliberation you tin execute the referendum that had been promised successful successive polls, it’s different to support announcing you’re going to bash it and past not doing it, and that has a demoralising effect."

The contented remains a topical 1 with Mr Swinney present successful complaint of the SNP's independency campaign, having suffered different damaging electoral reverse.

After the SNP lost 39 seats successful July's UK poll, helium said the enactment had "failed to person radical of the urgency of independence", and that it indispensable "take clip to see and reflect".

And astatine its Autumn conference, helium was recorded telling delegates that the SNP had spent excessively agelong focusing connected the "process of independence".

The archetypal occurrence of “Salmond and Sturgeon - A Troubled Union” volition aerial astatine 22:00 connected Tuesday, 10 September, connected the BBC Scotland channel.