The shocking delays have seen people wait up to 40 hours for an ambulance and the First Minister was forced to call upon the British Army to ease the strain.The Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, Alex Cole-Hamilton, said: "Extreme waiting times in A&E seem to be the new normal in the eyes of the SNP Government. Winter is only just beginning but already huge volumes of people who are scared and in pain are struggling to be seen because of the bottleneck at the door of emergency care."

       Ms Sturgeon suggested the pandemic was the cause of the crisis despite consecutive years of missed targets and climbing wait times before COVID-19.

       Meanwhile, the Scottish Tories are preparing a bombshell vote which could derail Ms Sturgeon's vaccine passport plans.

       A spokesperson for the Scottish Conservatives said: "The SNP plans are flawed, costly for businesses, and ripe for fraud. We must scrap this scheme now - before it hammers businesses."

       Under the proposed plans, due to come into effect October 1, nightclubs and large events will only be able to allow entry to people who can show they have had two doses of a Covid vaccine.

       The vote comes amid mounting criticism of the First Minister who many are saying is using the pandemic as an excuse for poor management.

       THIS LIVE BLOG IS NOW CLOSED.