Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, said the draft bill has been prepared to protect Scotland’s interests in light of the overwhelming vote across Scotland to remain. Having the bill available will allow all options to be available to the Scottish Parliament to protect Scotland’s continuing relationship with Europe, she said.

The draft bill proposes that any referendum would be run in a way similar to 2014, with technical adjustments to reflect recent changes in elections law and procedures such as individual registration.

Sturgeon said: ‘The damage to jobs and Scotland’s economy that will be caused by Brexit – especially a hard Brexit – is now plain to see.

‘We will continue to work UK wide to seek to avert a hard Brexit and we will also bring forward proposals that seek to protect our place in the single market, even if the rest of the UK leaves.

‘However, if we find that our interests cannot be properly or fully protected within a UK context then independence must be one of the options open to us and the Scottish people must have the right to consider it.’

It would be up to the Scottish Parliament to consider the bill and decide whether a referendum should be held.

The consultation sets out and seeks views on the Scottish government’s proposals for legislation on how a referendum on independence for Scotland should be run. As before, 16 and 17 year-olds and citizens of EU countries who have made Scotland their home would be eligible to vote.

The consultation will run until 11 January 2017.

Details of the draft referendum bill are here.