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The case for Scottish independence has “never been more compelling” against a backdrop of a UK in chaos, the SNP’s depute leader has said.
Keith Brown was speaking ahead of the SNP’s special convention on independence on Saturday June 24.
Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf will join members in Dundee as they discuss the way forward in their push for independence.
Mr Brown said that the “deep damage of a Tory Brexit” and the impact of former prime minister Liz Truss’s mini Budget are “still crippling Scotland’s progress”.
The time for change is now— Keith Brown, SNP depute leader
He said: “Against the backdrop of a UK in chaos and a Westminster-aggravated cost-of-living crisis, the case for Scottish independence has never been more compelling.
“As SNP members gather in Dundee this week, we are now more motivated than ever to make the case for independence on the doorsteps and to push ahead as the campaign steps up a gear.
“The opposition can now choose to engage in the substance of the debate or get left on the sidelines.
“The time for change is now – and the only meaningful change for Scotland is independence.”
The party’s Convention on Independence will take place at the Caird Hall in Dundee.
A UK Government spokeswoman said: “People in Scotland want both their governments to be concentrating on the issues that matter most to them, like growing our economy, halving inflation and improving public services.
“We want to work constructively with the Scottish Government to tackle our shared challenges. That is, rightly, what families and businesses in Scotland expect.
“This is not the time to be talking about unwanted and distracting constitutional change.”