Proposed date for Scottish independence named

Scotland could be independent on 24 March, 2016, if voters back leaving the UK in the independence referendum, the Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said.

The date is included in the Scottish government's White Paper, described as a "landmark document" which has economic growth, jobs and fairness at its heart.

Sturgeon said it would be the document that drives the independence debate, providing the positive case for a vote in favour of independence.

"This guide to an independent Scotland will be the most comprehensive and detailed blueprint of its kind ever published, not just for Scotland but for any prospective independent country," she said.

"It is a landmark document which sets out the economic, social and democratic case for independence.

"It demonstrates Scotland's financial strengths and details how we will become independent - the negotiations, preparations and agreements that will be required in the transition period from a vote for independence in September next year to our proposed Independence Day of 24 March 2016 and in time for the first elections to an independent Scottish Parliament in May of that year."