NICOLA Sturgeon has predicted that Boris Johnson “will become unstuck” as he faces scrutiny as Prime Minister and can no longer blame the EU for UK failings.

The First Minister made the point in a newspaper interview yesterday where she argued Johnson’s stance towards Scotland would lead to more people supporting independence. She also insisted an independence referendum could take place this year.

Asked for her views on the Prime Minister, she said: “He thinks if he bluffs and blusters and says what he’s saying in an authoritative enough voice then he can carry the day.

“It has worked pretty well for him so far, hasn’t it? We’ll see Boris Johnson come unstuck. He’s got fewer hiding places now the buck stops with him.

“He’s PM, he’s got a majority in the House of Commons. He’s out of the EU, so his places to point the finger are few and far between. He’s in a position where people have a right to expect him to deliver. I suspect he will find that harder than he likes to pretend.”

The First Minister brushed aside the Prime Minister’s opposition to another vote and expressed her belief that it could be staged in 2020. “A referendum can absolutely happen this year,” she said. “Let’s see what happens over the next few weeks.”

In a wide-ranging interview with The Sunday Times Magazine, she hinted that a consultative referendum was an option of last resort and expressed her belief that support for independence is at “something of a tipping point” and she predicted a post-Brexit “acceleration of that shift”. She claimed that Johnson’s opposition to independence was helping to build support for the cause.

“He is a democracy denier,” she said. “And while I can be impatient, I know that how he is behaving will ultimately drive people towards the independence cause.

“Boris Johnson is one of the biggest recruiting sergeants for independence there is at the moment.”

The First Minister also spoke out against sexism and misogyny, revealing that she encountered men whose conduct made her feel “uncomfortable” when she was a rising star in the SNP. She recalled having an “uncomfortable” lunch in her early twenties with a senior journalist who, she claimed, leered at her chest throughout their encounter.

Meanwhile, new Scottish Conservative leader Jackson Carlaw has reiterated he is “totally opposed” to another independence referendum as he denied a report his party was split on the issue.

Responding to a report in The Herald newspaper that the Scottish Tories are divided on whether Scots should have another say on independence, he said there was “no split” in the party.

The paper claimed a “growing numbers” of senior party members support calls for indyref2 – against the wishes of Carlaw.

But he said his party was “totally opposed” to another referendum on independence. “We are united”, he added.

Carlaw, who was confirmed as the new leader on Friday, criticised calls for another referendum on the grounds that in 2014 it was said to be a “once in a generation opportunity”.

He told the Politics Scotland programme: “I don’t know how you define a generation ... but I do know what a generation isn’t ... it’s not five years and it’s not even a decade. The once in a generation vote should be respected,” he said.

Pressed on whether it would be democratic to insist on refusing to support an independence referendum even if voters kept electing parties who campaigned for it, he argued it was the SNP who were being undemocratic.

He said: “Why my status as a democrat? What about the status of the Scottish National Party who have ignored the result of the 2014 referendum every waking day since it took place? I am not going to change my position.”

Former Scottish Tory communications chief Andy Maciver told the paper some senior Tories believe they should back a independence referendum if there is a pro-independence majority in Holyrood after the Scottish Parliament election next year.