irst Minister Humza Yousaf has mentioned help for independence is “rock solid” regardless of the challenges dealing with the SNP, as he kicked off a summer time of independence tour throughout Scotland on Saturday.

Mr Yousaf spoke to activists in Dundee as he loved a biking occasion within the metropolis’s Camperdown Park.

Speaking to the PA news company, the First Minister and SNP chief acknowledged the previous few weeks and months had been “challenging” for his occasion, following the controversy across the investigation into alleged irregularities in marketing campaign funding for a second independence referendum.

Mr Yousaf mentioned: “The SNP has had a really challenging few weeks and months, there is no getting away from that, but even with those challenges, support for independence is absolutely rock solid.

“I believe the best decisions about Scotland are made by the people in Scotland.”

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Mr Yousaf mentioned: “The next general election, we will fight on the issue of independence front and centre.

“That impasse will be broken by the power of the people.

“That’s why support for independence has to continue to grow.”

Last 12 months the UK Supreme Court dominated that the Scottish Government couldn't maintain a legally binding second referendum on independence with out the consent of the UK Government, which has persistently blocked makes an attempt to carry one.

Mr Yousaf added: “As long as the UK Government continue to deny that (independence), what we will do is use the next election to test support for the proposition of independence.”

He was requested what a dialog with the following UK prime minister, whether or not that be Rishi Sunak or Sir Keir Starmer, would appear to be.

He mentioned: “The conversation to me is a pretty simple one, it’s listen to the Scottish people, don’t ignore the Scottish people, we’ve put independence front and centre, and give people a right to determine their own future.”

Mr Yousaf was requested if he was assured his occasion might win the potential Rutherglen by-election, after former SNP MP Margaret Ferrier was convicted of breaching Covid guidelines and was handed a 30-day suspension from the House of Commons by the requirements committee.

The First Minister mentioned: “There’s no getting away from the fact the Rutherglen by-election will be challenging for the SNP. The response has been very positive in terms of the SNP.

“Labour have already taken that seat for granted. They’ve already decided the result before the recall petition is even over.”

He added: “Labour are showing a degree of complacency, I want to see the back of the Tories, I also don’t want to see a Labour majority government.”

The PA news company requested Mr Yousaf if a negotiation on independence can be simpler with a Labour authorities.

He replied: “I would hope so. The sensible voices in the Labour party would see that you cannot govern in Scotland by ignoring them.

“I would hope they would be more pragmatic about their approach.”

Scottish Conservative chairman Craig Hoy MSP mentioned: “The public want the Scottish government to be focused on their real priorities. Rather than this obsession with dragging Scotland out of the UK.

“But in a desperate bid to hold his feuding, scandal-ridden party together, Humza Yousaf is fixated on the only issue that nationalists agree on, to the dismay of the majority of Scots.

“This ‘Summer of Independence’ is a stark reminder that, for the SNP, trying to break up the UK will always trump everything else.”

The Scottish Labour occasion was contacted for remark.