Humza Yousaf has been criticised by fellow Yes supporters after the SNP’s new general election broadcast failed to mention independence.

The First Minister has repeatedly said that independence will be “page one, line one” of his party’s manifesto for Westminster. 

However the five-minute party political broadcast, titled ‘Making a real difference’, didn’t mention the issue once.

Instead, three female actors read lines “based on the experiences of the people of Scotland”, which reeled off a series of Holyrood policies, most but not all initiated by the SNP.

These included free baby boxes, the Scottish Child Payment, free school meals, free nursery care, free prescriptions, free personal care, free university tuition and free period products.

It also mentioned the council tax freeze announced by Mr Yousaf last October, despite this not being agreed by Scotland’s 32 local authorities, who are demanding more money for it.

At the end, the SNP leader said the various policies were his party’s values and Scotland’s values and all were “at risk from cruel and uncaring governments at Westminster”.

He said that if people wanted to protect them, they should vote SNP at the general election expected later this year and “stand up for Scotland and ensure our voice is heard.”  

After the broadcast aired on STV and BBC this evening, Alex Salmond’s Alba party attacked it, calling it “indicative of a strategy that aims to deceive by speaking about independence only to SNP members but failing to campaign publicly on the issue”. 

Alba General Secretary Chris McEleny said: “It is disappointing that the SNP have decided not to campaign for independence at the General election. 

“Bizarrely, with independence sitting on about 50% the SNP have opted to campaign on their record in Government- which has been wanting for several years. 

“Alba are now the only party that have a viable strategy for the General Election and we are the only party with a credible strategy to move the independence movement forward - as Ash Regan MSP set out with her plan for a Referendum Bill to be progressed in Holyrood.

“The SNP might not want to talk about independence in the upcoming General election campaign but the Alba party will ensure people have the option to vote for it. 

“Alba Party will make a wide scale intervention of at least twelve candidates  across Scotland at the General Election to make sure the people of Scotland have the choice of voting for independence - something we are more confident now than ever that a majority will take.”

An SNP spokesperson said: “The SNP party political broadcast shows the positive impact the SNP is having on the lives of people across Scotland and how we can build a better future as an independent country, when all of the decisions about Scotland are taken in Scotland.”