Nicola Sturgeon has launched a second paper making the case for independence which "exposes the significant and increasing democratic deficit that Scotland suffers as part of the Union."

Renewing Democracy Through Independence has been published on the Scottish Government website.

Speaking on the launch of the paper at Bute House, the First Minister said the paper proposes "that only independence can strengthen and embed democracy in Scotland". 

She criticised an ongoing campaign to find a new Conservative party leader to replace Boris Johnson as Prime Minister as well as criticising the Labour party as a "pale imitation of the Tories". 

Ms Sturgeon claimed the prime minister has no democratic endorsement of the people of Scotland.

"The democratic deficit Scotland faces is not a new or a recent phenomenon, but the evidence of it now is arguably starker than it has ever been," she said. 

"A prime minister with no democratic endorsement from Scotland will be replaced by another prime minister that Scotland hasn't vote for - indeed, wouldn't vote for, even if we were given the opportunity."

"And the change of Tory leader seems virtually certain to be accompanied by a shift even further to the right. And that means a shift even further away from the mainstream of Scottish opinion and values."

She also accused the Labour party of failing to represent Scottish values and added: "So scared is Labour of Tory attacks from the right, and so obsessed with neutralising, rather than standing up to these attacks, that they are becoming a pale imitation of the Tories, rather than a real alternative."

"This is Labour's pitch to Scotland in a nutshell - to help Labour win in England, Scotland must suck up what we did not vote for.

"Brexit, and all of its dire consequences, must be accepted - with no possible route back into the EU or even the single market."

She accused the party of "teaming up with the Tories to frustrate the will of the Scottish people" in a repeat of 2014, adding that their positions "are nothing to do with the interests of the democratic wishes of Scotland".

Claiming that policies from Westminister parties "encapsulate the democratic deficit that we face as part of the UK", the First Minister argued that only independence represented a "real and permanent alternative".

Ms Sturgeon insisted that independence is not separate from "the bread and butter" issues facing Scotland. 

"Independence is about building a stronger and fairer economy," she said. "It is about protecting the NHS and public services."

"It is about tackling the cost of living and ensuring that, in this energy-rich country, the cost of heating our homes doesn't plunge people into dire poverty.

"It is about safeguarding the climate, human rights, and our place in the world."

How can I read the full paper? 

 

The second paper in the Building a New Scotland series has been published to the Scottish Government website. 

'Renewing Democracy through Independence' can be accessed here.