Ayr MSP Siobhian Brown has warned Westminster politicians that they cannot deny the choice of the people of Ayr by “ignoring democracy”.

The latest set of Scottish Government issued independence papers, titled ‘Renewing Democracy through Independence’, was published last week, and argues for a prosperous independent Scotland.

SNP MSP Ms Brown said: “This latest paper lays bare that when decisions are made by Westminster, it’s the people of Ayr that lose out.

“Hundreds of billions in oil revenue squandered by the UK Treasury, a crippling decade of Tory austerity and the economic and social disaster that is Brexit is the legacy of Westminster control faced by families here.

“Decisions about Scotland should be taken by those who live here – not by politicians we don’t vote for or unelected Lords.

“That’s why Scotland needs independence – and Westminster politicians cannot continue to stand in the way of the democratic right of the people of Scotland to choose a better future.

“There will soon come a time when the opposition will have to engage in the substance of the independence argument.

“It will then be for them to explain why Westminster control would be better than the full powers of independence where Scotland takes our own decisions.”

Renewing Democracy through Independence’ can be accessed by visiting gov.scot/publications/renewing

-democracy-through-independence.