NICOLA Sturgeon will today urge voters to back the SNP to “strengthen Scotland’s right to choose” its own future as she unveils her party’s manifesto.

The First Minister has faced criticism from opponents that she has both downplayed and overplayed independence during the General Election campaign.

But pitching to voters who may be considering backing Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party in a bid to oust the Conservatives or the LibDems, who want a second referendum on Brexit, she is expected to reinforce her position that only the SNP can ensure Scots get a choice over their future.

“This election won’t decide whether or not Scotland will become independent — but a vote for the SNP will reinforce the right of the Scottish Parliament to decide when the nation should be given a choice on its future, and will make sure that Scotland’s future is always in Scotland’s hands,” she will say as she unveils her manifesto in Edinburgh.

“Labour can’t win this election in Scotland and a vote for them will risk letting Tory MPs in the back door, while the LibDems, with their history of propping up the Tories, simply cannot be trusted.

“Now, more than ever, it is vital to have strong SNP voices standing up for Scotland and preventing the dangers of an unopposed Tory government at Westminster.”

The First Minister is also due to outline a plan to “end austerity”, saying SNP MPs would use “responsible” proposals to argue for more investment for public services and the reversal of welfare cuts.

Speaking ahead of the manifesto launch, Sturgeon said her party’s MPs had “shaken up the Westminster establishment” by providing “the only effective opposition to the Tories”.

On issues ranging from cuts to tax credits, and from women’s pensions to the “appalling” so-called rape clause, the SNP had “led the way in standing up for a fairer society”, the SNP leader said.

“A vote for the SNP in this election will strengthen Scotland’s hand against further Tory cuts and ensure that progressive polices, like those pursued by the SNP government in Scotland, are firmly on the agenda at Westminster,” Sturgeon said.

“At the heart of our plans is a responsible fiscal plan to end austerity and free up resources to invest in public services, protect family budgets and call a halt to cuts in social-security support for working families and the disabled.

“A vote for the SNP will also strengthen Scotland’s hand against an extreme Brexit that will put tens of thousands of Scottish jobs at risk.”

In March, the First Minister called for an independence referendum to be held between Autumn 2018 and Spring 2019, to give people north of the Border a choice between leaving the EU with the rest of the UK or independence.

Her call came after the Scottish Government’s proposals to keep Scotland in both the UK and the European single market in a bespoke Brexit deal were rejected by the UK Government.

The Scottish Parliament endorsed Sturgeon’s plan for a second independence referendum, but the request to Theresa May to transfer powers to Holyrood to hold the vote was rejected, with the Prime Minister saying “now is not the time”.

That stance has now strengthened with May saying Sturgeon would need to wait until “Brexit is played out” and there is “public consent” for a second vote.

Pledges in the SNP manifesto will include protecting Scotland’s place in the European single market, demanding full control over immigration is devolved to Holyrood and repealing the Trade Union Act.

The party also plans to ban zero-hours contracts, stop businesses involved in blacklisting from bidding for public contracts and abolish fees for employment tribunals.

Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale said: “No one believes Nicola Sturgeon on austerity any more. She has the powers to ask the richest to pay their fair share and instead has frozen taxes for the richest while passing on Tory cuts to the poorest.

“Whatever Nicola Sturgeon promises during the election you can be sure she’ll do the opposite afterwards.

“This election isn’t about ending austerity for Nicola Sturgeon, it’s about building the case for a second independence referendum that the majority of Scots don’t want.”

Scottish Conservative deputy leader Jackson Carlaw said: “Nicola Sturgeon promised the 2014 referendum was a once in a generation event and she pledged to respect the result. Since then she has broken her word on both counts on a weekly basis.

“During Sunday’s televised leaders’ debate she complained she ‘cannae get a word in edgeways’ about independence.”

He added: “It is no wonder people have seen through her efforts to play down independence in this election campaign. Her obsessive focus on independence over the past three years makes it absolutely plain that on June 9 the SNP will take every vote they receive as an endorsement of their plan to break up the United Kingdom.”

Polling suggests the SNP will win the General Election in Scotland, though with a fewer number of MPs than in May 2015.