Keith Brown, Deputy Leader of the SNP, will today implore the pro-independence supporters that they have a crucial role to play by persuading their fellow Scots that independence is Scotland’s best hope of building "a fairer, wealthier and happier nation". The First Minister has defended her decision to persue a second Scottish independence referendum despite the promise the 2014 vote would be a "once in a generation" event. Ms Sturgeon said: "A couple of years [after the 2014 Scottish independence referendum] we had the Brexit referendum and the outcome of that has seen Scotland taken out of the EU against our will.

       "Back in 2014, one of the big issues in the campaign was this assertion on the side of the anti-independence campaigners that if we voted for independence we would be ripped out of the EU.

       "So there's been pretty big changes in circumstances."

       The SNP's four-day virtual event will touch on their plans for combatting the climate change challenge, rebuilding from coronavirus, next year’s local council elections and their commitment to a second independence referendum.

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