Nicola Sturgeon has said that a key report on Scottish independence will be “frank about the challenges” and not “sugar-coated”.
The findings of the SNP’s growth commission, which was set up in 2016 to look at economic policy options for an independent Scotland, are due to be published this week.
The first minister has said that it will not influence the timing of a second independence referendum, but that it would restart the debate on Scotland’s future.
The commission is to make recommendations on the monetary policy for an independent Scotland as well as the range of transitional costs and benefits associated with independence.
Currency became a contentious issue in the run-up to the 2014 referendum, and reports have suggested that the commission will back the creation of a Scottish currency.
Ms Sturgeon said she did not have a copy of the final report but was “looking forward to seeing it in the coming days”.
Speaking in Glasgow ahead of a Cabinet meeting yesterday, the first minister said: “I expect it to be a very positive report, not sugar-coated.
“It will, I hope, be frank about the challenges we face as a country, but also very positive about how independence can equip us to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities of the future, and I think that will be quite refreshing in Scotland because the last couple of years have been very much focused on how we limit the damage of Brexit.
“Instead of a debate based on despair, this is an opportunity to turn our minds to a debate that’s all about hope, optimism and ambition for Scotland.”
Ms Sturgeon has previously said she will consider the timing of an independence referendum once there is “clarity” on the outcome of Brexit.
Speaking about the growth commission report, she said: “This is not a report on the timing of a referendum, it’s a report about the why of independence, how it better equips Scotland to face up to the challenges we face, including the challenges that are brought about by Brexit and how we seize the opportunities.”
