David Cameron said he is worried there will be a second Scottish independence referendum if Britain votes to leave the EU.

The Prime Minister made the remarks as part of a live programme on the EU referendum hosted by ITV's Julie Etchingham and broadcast by STV.

Dismissing Leave arguments over British sovereignty, Cameron said: "Parliament is sovereign. We have just had a Queen's Speech with a whole set of proposals and measures, some of which you might agree with and some of which you might disagree with, but they are British proposals for the British people from a British government.

"You hear a lot of talk about patriotism in this referendum. As far as I'm concerned I love this country with a passion, I think we are an amazing country and I say, if you love your country then you don't damage its economy, you don't restrict opportunities for young people, you don't actually isolate your country and reduce its influence in the world.

"And frankly, I do worry about a second Scottish referendum if we vote to leave, and you don't strengthen your country by leading to its break-up."

The Prime Minister said he was "deeply patriotic", adding: "I think this is a case for a bigger, greater Britain inside a European Union."

Cameron was joined on the Leave side by UKIP leader Nigel Farage, although the two men did not go head-to-head, instead splitting the hour-long programme with two separate audience Q&As.

In his segment, Farage rejected warnings from economists and businesses over the possible economic dangers of Brexit, claiming they had been wrong in the past.

The UKIP leader said: "They have been wrong before and they are wrong again. There are strong, independent voices in business - people like John Longworth from the British Chambers of Commerce, who resigned his position to speak out against this and people like Digby Jones, the former director general of the CBI.

"So the trend is, if they are currently in post they support the status quo, once they have retired or resigned - the former governor of the Bank of England Mervyn King - they speak more freely."

Farage also described the recent deal the Prime Minister had negotiated with the European Union as "rotten", adding: "Frankly, the cost of [EU] membership now far outweighs any benefit."

A second Scottish independence referendum would require a Section 30 order from Westminster which would empower the Scottish Parliament to legally hold such a poll.

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson told STV before the Holyrood election that she would instruct the Prime Minister to "take a hike" if Nicola Sturgeon requested a second referendum on independence.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon responded that any move to deny a second vote if it was the will of the Scottish people would be "anti-democratic" and an "outrage".

The referendum on EU membership will be held on June 23.