Alister Jack has not ruled out a second referendum on independence happening in the future but said the UK Government's focus now was the climate crisis and covid recovery.
Speaking on the opening day of COP26 summit in Glasgow, the Scottish secretary insisted "we are not saying never, we're saying we're not having one now".
Tory MP Jack has previously suggested an IndyRef2 would only take place if polling consistently showed 60% of Scots supported having one.
Nicola Sturgeon has repeatedly claimed the SNP has a cast-iron mandate to hold another vote on the constitution after her party won the most seats in May's Holyrood election.
The First Minister's preference is to hold a referendum before the end of 2023 but only if the coronavirus pandemic has ended.
The power to hold a legally-binding independence vote rests with the UK Government but there have been calls among some pro-independence activists to test that position in the courts.
Jack, a key ally of Boris Johnson, said in August that polling would have to consistently show six in ten Scots want a re-run of 2014 before it can happen.
Asked today if that was still his position, Jack told the BBC: "I think when it comes to constitutional change, there's such upheaval, it creates such uncertainty, it's bad for inward investment, it's bad for business."
On IndyRef2 timing, he added: "We are not saying never, we're saying we're not having one now. And if you look at the polls, the people of Scotland agree with me on that.
"We had one in 2014, we don't need to keep having referenda until the SNP... that's not how this works.
"We are focused on the climate change crisis. We are focused on covid and recovery."
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