An SNP candidate has claimed there was "an element of gullibility" among some people who voted No in the independence referendum.

Mhairi Black, who polls say is on course to unseat shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander as MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South, made the claim during an interview with BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme.

The SNP faced calls to sack Ms Black as a candidate in February after footage of her speaking at a pro-independence rally in October last year showed her labelling some of those who rejected independence as "gullible" and "selfish".

Ms Black, 20, who is a politics student, insisted she had changed her attitude towards No voters when she was challenged in February about the language she had used.

But challenged again during her radio interview today, she said: "The exact quote is some were gullible, and I think there was an element of truth to that, however what it is about realising is people are looking for change, they are looking for that fresh start I have just mentioned and the only people who are offering that right now are the SNP."

Pushed on whether it had been an error to call people gullible, she added: "No, I don't think so, I think there was an element of gullibility in terms of the lies that some people were told.

"Maybe the word wasn't the wisest, however what it is about recognising is that people were scared quite often."