John Swinney’s independence strategy backed by SNP members

Meanwhile, the Scottish Conservatives’ deputy leader, Rachel Hamilton, said the SNP had “lost all credibility”.

She added: “The SNP showed themselves in their true colours at this debate, ludicrously labelling the same old obsession with independence ‘a fresh start’.

Scottish Labour constitution spokesman Neil Bibby described the vote as a “waste of time” and called on the SNP to address concerns over Scotland’s public services.

He said: “One person dies from a drug overdose almost every seven hours in Scotland, one in six Scots is on an NHS waiting list, violence is rising in our schools, and a housing emergency is causing misery for families across the country – yet the SNP has no answers.

And Alba leader Kenny MacAskill, who succeeded the late Alex Salmond, described the vote as a “missed opportunity”.

The former SNP minister said Swinney had “handed a veto” to the UK government over whether the country could host another independence vote.

MacAskill added: “This vote is a missed opportunity to unite the independence movement and pursue a clear, credible and popular strategy to seek and achieve a mandate for independence.”