Nicola Sturgeon has hailed a leading Labour politician after she called for a second Scottish independence referendum.

Alison Evison, president of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) said the decision to back indyref2 was 'straight-forward' on Twitter, saying democracy must be 'at the core' of everything.

It comes after the Prime Minister reiterated his opposition to indyref2, despite the First Minister saying it is now a "democratic right".

READ MORE: Sturgeon’s mandate is built on questionable foundations

Ms Evison, who is a councillor in Aberdeenshire, said: "It's straight-forward to me: democracy must be at the core of all we do.

"Recently it has become fragile and we must strengthen it again.

"We can strengthen it by enabling the voice of Scotland to be heard through its formal processes & that must mean a referendum on independence."

Nicola Sturgeon was quick to respond and tweeted her appreciation of the councillor's opinion.

READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon warns Boris Johnson he cannot ‘bludgeon Scotland into accepting his view’

She wrote: "Not for me to decide its direction, of course, but can’t help thinking that Scottish Labour would do well to listen to principled and sensible voices like Alison Evison."

SNP's Keith Brown said: “The election result shows once again that Scotland is on a very different path to the rest of the UK. 

“The SNP won an incredible 80% of seats in Scotland - an overwhelming endorsement of our campaign and message that Scotland must have it says. 

“Alison’s comments are a reflection of shifting public opinion as voters look for an escape route from this Tory Brexit

“With Boris Johnson in Number 10 threatening privatisation of our NHS, it’s no surprise that more people believe Scotland should have a say on its own future. 

“Our movement is going from strength to strength – with more and more traditional Labour voters looking to independence to help secure a brighter future Scotland. 

“Voters in Scotland have spoken - we will have a say on our future.”

Richard Leonard, leader of Scottish Labour, has previously said a majority for pro-independence parties in Scotland in 2021 would be a mandate for a second vote.