Boris Johnson has been told he must “respect the will of the Scottish people” and allow a second independence referendum.
SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford issued the the challenge to the Prime Minister ahead of the State opening of parliament.
The UK government’s new legislative programme will be unveiled in the Queen’s speech at Westminster later on Tuesday.
The list of proposed bills will see an emphasis on supporting the recovery from the Coronavirus pandemic levelling up the economy, and ensuring equal opportunities for all.
There are few measures expected to deal with Scotland directly but arguments over the UK’s constitutional future are likely to feature in the debate after the pro-independence Holyrood majority produced by the Scottish elections.
Speaking ahead of the Queen’s Speech Blackford said: “England and Scotland are on different political paths” and that the Scottish election result meant there was now a “cast iron mandate” for a second referendum.
He added: “Boris Johnson must respect the will of the Scottish people who voted overwhelmingly to re-elect the SNP with a cast-iron mandate for a post-pandemic independence referendum.”
Blackford continued: “When it comes to recovery, Scotland voted for a parliament that will back transformative policies to create a fairer society.
"Instead the Tories are repeating the same damaging mistakes of the last economic crisis, by imposing austerity cuts, a hard Brexit, a public sector pay freeze and slashing Universal Credit – pushing millions of people into poverty.
“People in Scotland roundly rejected the Tories and voted for a strong, fair, and equal recovery – instead of the long-term damage of Tory cuts, Brexit and power grabs.”
The Queen’s Speech contains a list of proposed legislation for the next parliamentary session.
It will include 29 pieces of legislation, although several of them are carried over from the previous session.
The speech will include a commitment to introducing voter ID for future general elections, which has raised concerns among many MPs and civil rights groups, an reform of social care for the elderly which is also a priority for the Scottish government’ new programme for government.
