Nicola Sturgeon says a vote on independence would take place during the first term of power

Deputy leader Nicola Sturgeon has insisted the party would not ditch the policy to help smooth the way to power.

In an interview on BBC One's The Politics Show, Ms Sturgeon said a coalition with the Lib Dems had "never been ruled out".

She added that a referendum would take place in the first term of power.

Privately, some members of the SNP believe they would lose an independence referendum if such a vote were to be called in the first term.

Ms Sturgeon said: "It's always amazed me that any democrat, liberal or otherwise, could or should object to the idea that the question of independence, the question of Scotland's constitutional future, should be decided in a referendum.

'People want debate'

"Our policy is to have a referendum in the first term. The exact timing of that would depend on what was right for Scotland within that first term."

Outgoing Scottish Lib Dem leader Jim Wallace, who will stand down in June, has always ruled out an executive coalition with the SNP on the basis of its independence referendum policy.

But the Lib Dems Transport Minister Nicol Stephen, who is favourite to replace Mr Wallace as leader and deputy first minister, has never ruled out a deal with any party.

Ms Sturgeon said: "If we are in the situation where the SNP is the largest party (after the 2007 election), the signal the Scottish people will have sent is that they want that debate to take place and that decision should be available for them to take.