Nicola Sturgeon has accused Douglas Ross of being "terrified" of Scottish independence.
The First Minister laid into the Scottish Conservatives leader after he suggested a second referendum would be "illegal" unless it was sanctioned by the UK Government.
Ross announced on Tuesday his party would boycott any "wildcat" vote on the constitution after the Scottish Government published the first in a series of papers aimed at convincing voters to back ending the Union.
SNP and Green ministers are pushing for an IndyRef2 to take place in October 2023 despite opposition from the UK Government who insist the result of the 2014 vote should be respected.
Speaking at First Minister's Questions today, Sturgeon said: "There is a real desperation at the heart Douglas Ross's approach to independence.
"It is very telling that he is so terrified of the substantive debate on independence, of the verdict of the Scottish people on independence, that he is reduced to somehow trying to pretend that democracy in Scotland is illegal.
"It is not a question on whether this government respects the rule of law - we do and always will - the question is, is Douglas Ross a democrat? And the glaring answer to that is no."
Ross hit back: "First Minister, your priorities are all wrong at the worst possible time.
"It is a crucial moment right now for public services and our economy. We've just gone through a pandemic. War in Europe has spiked energy prices.
"It's time for us all to pull together and focus on public services or creating jobs.
"A focus on recovery is what the Scottish Government overwhelmingly want."
Sturgeon responded: "Independence is about ensuring we can better meet the priorities of the Scottish people.
"Because what Douglas Ross needs to reflect on is the challenges he has outlined are being exacerbated right because we are not independent."
The Scottish Government has so far not formally asked for a Section 30 order from Westminster - the legal mechanism that would allow Holyrood to stage a referendum without facing a legal challenge.
Speaking yesterday, SNP minister Angus Robertson claimed he saw "no reason” for the UK Government to deny a section 30 order.
The constitution secretary said: “Scottish politics has a long history of the UK Government going, ‘no, no, no, yes’.
"That’s what happened in the run up to the referendum in 2014 and I still think we should work on the basis of the gold standard of democracy which is that surely all of us involved in politics agree that when the people vote for something to happen in this country, it’s what should happen."
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