SNP leader John Swinney has said that independence will "proudly sit on page one, line one" of his party's General Election manifesto when it is launched next week.
Speaking ahead of the launch, expected on Wednesay, the First Minister said the manifesto would offer people in Scotland a "real vision of hope", in contrast to the "continuing despair" being offered by Westminster.
He said SNP MPs would oppose spending cuts and propose investment in public services like the NHS, and that his party would push for independence so that Scotland could "match the success of our European neighbours".
Mr Swinney said: "Austerity, Brexit and the cost-of-living crisis were all made in Westminster - and in this campaign the SNP is exposing just how much these bad decisions have damaged Scotland.
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"In this election it is the SNP who is offering the real alternative to the cosy Westminster consensus. Our manifesto will focus on the issues that matter most to people, offering a real vision of hope in stark contrast to the continuing despair being offered by Westminster.
"SNP MPs will stand fully against public spending cuts - whether they are Tory cuts or Labour cuts. Instead, we will propose investment in our people and public services like our NHS - to build a sustainable economy which works for everyone.
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"Fundamentally, we will make the case that decisions about our future should be made in Scotland, for Scotland.
"It is only by becoming independent that we can secure the powers we need to match the success of our European neighbours - and that is why independence will proudly sit on page one, line one of our manifesto."
A series of polls suggest that at a UK level, Labour has around at 20 percentage point lead over the Conservatives in the race to Downing Street, while in Scotland, Labour are narrowly ahead of the SNP.
Mr Swinney is today visiting the Aberdeen North and Moray East constituency which is a key battleground between the SNP and the Scottish Conservatives.
Douglas Ross, the Scottish Conservative leader, caused party fury earlier this month when he declared he would run in the seat, replacing David Duguid, the incumbent, who was deselected because of his health.
The row erupted as Mr Ross had previously said he would not contest a seat in the election having announced he would be standing down as Moray MP and focus instead on leading his party in Holyrood.
Last week he announced he would resign as party leader after the general election and step down as an MSP if re-elected to the Commons.
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