A plane was spotted over Glasgow and Edinburgh this afternoon sporting a banner that read ‘Resign Sturgeon’.

The campaign group responsible for the aerial banner, as well as three digital billboards, is calling for the First Minister to step down after what it has called the “catastrophic handling” of the Alex Salmond case.

The group, called The Majority - along with the support of Scotland Matters, UK Union Voice and donors to a crowdfunding campaign - launched the #ResignSturgeon campaign today, the first in a series of campaigns leading up to the Scottish Elections on May 6.

Digital billboards have appeared across Scotland - in Glasgow on the Clydeside Expressway, on Slateford Road in Edinburgh and on Market Street in Aberdeen.

Meanwhile, the #ResignSturgeon banner towed behind an aeroplane has flown over The Scottish Parliament Building in Holyrood and Edinburgh City Centre and later over Glasgow City Centre and the Finnieston Crane area.

The Majority was founded in June last year and claims to be Scotland’s leading anti-nationalist media group.

A statement from the campaign group read: “The campaign is a message to Nicola Sturgeon to take responsibility for her Government’s catastrophic handling of the Alex Salmond Harassment Inquiry, which cost the taxpayer well over £500,000 in damages to Salmond plus hundreds of thousands of pounds more in Scottish Government legal fees, as well as the cost of the ongoing inquiry.

“Nicola Sturgeon hasn’t taken responsibility. She has not fired anyone. The whole of Scotland is talking about her collusion, corruption and cover-up, instead of health, education and jobs. She must resign so the country can move on.”

Following Ms Sturgeon’s evidence to Holyrood’s Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints on Wednesday, her spokesman said she had “dismantled all of the claims which have been made against her”.

He said: “In fully eight hours of evidence, the opposition completely failed to substantiate any of the allegations and absurd conspiracy theories which have been levelled at her and her office in this case.

“The First Minister gave a clear, open and transparent account to the committee and directly addressed all of the issues raised. She was happy to take all of their questions and gave evidence for as long as the committee members wanted.

“She now looks forward to receiving the conclusions of the committee’s report, and the report of James Hamilton, the independent adviser on the ministerial code.”