Full details of a new daily, pro-independence newspaper, The National, were officially released today.

Aimed at the 1.6m Scots who voted to leave the Union in September, the new title will go on sale on Monday morning.

The National, part of the Newsquest-owned Herald & Times Group which also publishes heraldscotland.com, was unveiled by its new editor Richard Walker this afternoon to a 12,000 capacity crowd of SNP supporters at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow, where new First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was addressing party members.

Walker also heads up the Sunday Herald, the only Scottish title to actively support independence in the referendum. It saw print sales spike to around 50,000 copies the Sunday after the result, an 111% year-on-year increase. The paper's circulation is currently running about 40% higher year-on-year.

Walker said: "We lost the referendum but the political momentum behind independence is growing by the day, evidenced by the doubling of membership of the SNP, and the ongoing debate about extra powers for the Scottish Parliament."

Herald & Times Group managing director Tim Blott said: "It is the first time in many years that a new daily newspaper has been launched in Scotland. The National is an exciting opportunity to meet the needs of a very politically-engaged section of the Scottish population.

"We recognise that launching a newspaper in 2014 is to some extent counter-intuitive but we consistently argue for the power of great journalism and informed opinion. We will trial the new title in its proposed format for a week and if, as anticipated, it takes off, then it will become a new and dynamic fixture in Scottish publishing."

The new 50p National can be purchased Monday to Friday from most newsagents and supermarkets. It is also available as an electronic edition for online readers. Subscribe using this link

An accompanying website, www.TheNational.scot, is being prepared. In the meantime the website features a holding page which includes information about the title and an opportunity for readers to give feedback.

Content from the print edition of the Sunday Herald will continue to feature on heraldscotland.com.