The leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), Nicola Sturgeon, reaffirmed her commitment to a consensual departure from the UK on the final day of the UK�s membership in the European Union (EU).

In a speech in Edinburgh yesterday, Sturgeon warned against shortcuts to a fresh independence referendum (also referred to as indyref2), whilst insisting on her original timeframe for a referendum in the second half of this year.

But in a sign that Sturgeon is preparing to retreat in the face of Prime Minister, Boris Johnson�s steadfast refusal to allow a referendum, the SNP leader conceded indyref2 may not happen until after next year�s Holyrood (Scottish Parliament) election.

Sturgeon, who is also Scotland�s First Minister, was addressing the SNP rank and file just hours before the UK�s departure from the EU yesterday at 23:00 GMT.

In yet another nod to her trademark constitutional approach, Sturgeon told her supporters that a new referendum must be legal and legitimate.

The timing was crucial as Sturgeon and the SNP have tried to capitalize on the Scottish people�s pro-EU instincts to whip up support for indyref2. In the June 2016 EU referendum, 62 percent of Scottish voters opted to remain within the EU.

But Sturgeon�s speech proved too much for some independent Scottish nationalists (those unaffiliated to the SNP), who are increasingly coming round to the view that only radical political action can break the deadlock.

One independent pro-independence blogger - Wings Over Scotland - labelled Sturgeon�s doggedly constitutional approach as a betrayal and accused the SNP leader of squandering repeated political opportunities to push for independence.

The danger for Sturgeon is that attitudes within the broader Scottish independence movement continue to harden, possibly to the point where her leadership of the Scottish independence movement is seriously threatened.

Meanwhile grassroots support for Scottish independence continues to grow as the latest YouGov poll places support for independence at 51 percent.