The Scottish Government has ditched plans for indyref2 this year in the wake of the Coronavirus crisis.
Cabinet Secretary Michael Russell confirmed the Government was delaying the plan as a result of the pandemic.
In a letter to Michael Gove, a Cabinet minister in Boris Johnson's Government, he said:
"Because of the crisis, the Scottish Government has paused work on preparing for an independence referendum this year.
"We have also written to the Electoral Commission to make clear we do not expect it to undertake testing of a referendum question until public health circumstances permit such activity (while also urging the commission to reject the UK Government’s objections to testing)."
He added: "That will allow us to focus all available resource on current and future demands in what is an unprecedented set of circumstances. It follows from this that a referendum will not take place this year."
He also called on the UK Government to pause negotiations with the EU for a post-Brexit trade deal: "We would now strongly suggest to the UK Government that the time has come for an equivalent action by you with regard to the Brexit process, and would ask you to institute a pause to EU/UK negotiations for at least six months."
Nicola Sturgeon had been pushing for a referendum to take place, but the UK Government rejected the demand.
In recent days, senior SNP figures said publicly they believed the spread of Coronavirus meant indyref2 in 2020 was not possible.
MSP Alex Neil said: “There’s no way you could run a campaign, with the near lockdown we’ve already got, never mind probably a further tightening at some point, of the lockdown. Nobody knows how long it is going to last.
“It could be another year before we get a vaccine. Coronavirus has changed everything.”
He added: “The chances are zilch.”
Councillor Chris McEleny had also said: "If the peak projection is June then we might only be on the other side of the curve well into the second half of the year - and that's if management of the pandemic goes as hoped.
"We shouldn't then diminish ourselves by pretending this doesn't change business as usual and that there is still the prospect of a referendum this year - it does, and there isn't.
"The chances of a referendum being agreed to by Boris Johnson were already slim to none, they are now simply none."
Scottish Tory MSP Murdo Fraser said: “This is very welcome news and will come as a relief to workers and businesses alike.
“Since the scale of this outbreak became clear, it’s been necessary for all governments and political parties to work together.
“This announcement from Mike Russell is very much in keeping with that spirit."
