The First Minister has distanced herself from an offensive rap song performed at a pro-independence event which contained an anti-gay slur against Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson.

Sturgeon says she does not "condone" the terminology in the song by the group Witsherface, which poked fun at politicians at an event organised by the cross-party Scottish Independence Convention .

The group labelled Davidson, who is gay, as "Dykey D".

Speakers at the event included former SNP leader Alex Salmond, Scottish Government minister Jeane Freeman and Scottish Greens MSP Ross Greer.

Annie Wells, the Scottish Conservatives' equalities spokeswoman, raised the issue at First Minister's Questions on Thursday.

The MSP asked the First Minister if she agrees that: "Depicting women who serve in public life as sexual predators or, I quote, as a 'poor excuse for women', or referring to them with homophobic slurs, can never be excused as amusing satire and is in fact crass and deeply offensive?"

In reply, Sturgeon said: "As I hope everybody knows, even my sternest critics would accept that I would never, ever condone homophobia.

"I genuinely hope that there is nobody across the chamber who would argue with that.

"Some of the terminology that we have heard used in satire over recent days is terminology that I would never use.

"I do not condone it and I can well understand that people would be offended by it."

The rap was described as "hilariously irreverent satire" by SNP MP Joanna Cherry on Twitter. Cherry said was "still laughing" afterwards at the performance.

The MP, who is gay, later said in a letter that she and other lesbians have "reclaimed" the word dyke and use it "proudly" but she regrets any offence caused over its usage at the pro-independence event.

The First Minister told MSPs it is not "appropriate or reasonable" for Cherry to be described as "homophobic" following her tweets.