The SNP’s Independence Minister has insisted public funds spent on drawing up the Scottish Government’s updated case for separation is “well worth expending” – as he claimed his party's newest position on dissolving the Union is “clear”.

The Scottish Government was criticised by unionist opponents after Humza Yousaf appointed Jamie Hepburn as a dedicated minister for independence, while civil servants have been tasked with updating the case for separation.

The Supreme Court ruled that Holyrood does not have the authority to hold an independence referendum, but the SNP formed a government after the 2021 election with a manifesto commitment to pursue separation.

But Mr Hepburn has hit out at spending of the UK Government’s Scotland Office, which coughed up £1.1 million on communications in the last year, claiming Alister Jack’s department “does not have much work to do”.

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Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser asked the minister for “some clarity on where we are” with the SNP’s position on independence.

He added: “In the past few weeks, we have had three different positions from the Scottish National Party on the question of a de facto referendum.

“First, the SNP said that it needed a majority of votes cast in an election. It then said that it simply needed the most seats in an election.

“It has now said—I think—that it just needs to get a majority of seats in a general election.

“The SNP is effectively saying that even if it lost 20 seats in a general election—seats lost to the Conservatives or to Labour, or even to the Liberal Democrats—it would take that as a mandate for independence.

“Does it really expect people to take this nonsense seriously?”

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But Mr Hepburn insisted “our prospectus is clear”.

He said: “We have had a full debate at our conference—something that I know is anathema to the Conservative party in terms of its internal democracy—and we have laid out our position.

“We will take that to the electorate and seek their support.”

The minister also told MSPs that the Scottish Government “will continue to provide information about the opportunities of independence” through its Building a New Scotland series of papers and “various other engagements”.

Mr Hepburn said: “We will build on the plans that we have already set out on the economy, the currency, a written constitution and citizenship in an independent Scotland with further proposals, including on migration, pensions, social security, defence, the European Union and the transition to net zero.

“The next paper is planned for publication shortly.”

But Tory MSP Sharon Dowey claimed that the Scottish Government should divert funds for its independence campaign to tackling other services.

She said: “Emergency workers in our police, fire and healthcare services all say that they need more resources.

“With ministers trying to fill a £1 billion black hole in the budget for next year, does the minister not believe that that money would be better spent elsewhere?”

Mr Hepburn insisted that “the civil service will continue to work on government commitments on the constitution, including independence”.

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He said: “Following the publication of each building a new Scotland paper, we routinely publish the cost of having done so, and we will continue with that approach.”

The minister added: “To be abundantly clear, the cost of each paper that we have published thus far has been less than £20,000.

“With the enormous benefits and opportunity that independence brings, I think that that money is well worth expending.

“Of course, we will continue to invest in public services, but the question could equally be posed to the United Kingdom Government. In the past year, the Scotland Office has spent £1.1 million on communication staff alone.

“It has four special advisers in one UK Government department, which—let us face it—does not have much work to do. Therefore, let us also have some answers in relation to the UK Government’s approach in these matters.”