SCOTLAND’S newest pro-independence political party is planning to put forward candidates in all eight regions at May’s Holyrood elections.

Property businessman Alan Findlay will stand in the west of Scotland for the Scottish Libertarian Party (SLP), while Derek Scott, who works for a sub-sea oil and gas contractor, has been named as its candidate in the north east. Tammy Edgar, a former retail manager and now a student, is their lead candidate for south of Scotland. The party will reveal the names of its candidates for the remaining regions over the coming weeks.

Scott said his party offers “a completely different agenda” from the existing mainstream parties.

He said: “We are hoping to pick up second or list votes from the SNP as well as the Tories, the Lib Dems and Labour. I believe one of the reasons the SNP has done so well in Scotland is by virtue of not being the Tories, the Lib Dems or Labour."

Scott said the party will campaign against state subsidies to business and state involvement in family life. “We want to end the scandal of the poor being taxed to increase the profits of private enterprises like T in the Park and Amazon,” he said.

As well as being pro-independence, the SLP supports low taxation and public spending and low regulation for businesses. It is also strongly in favour of an EU exit.

It was inspired by the work of US politician Ron Paul, a former Republican congressman and the Libertarian Party nominee in the 1988 US presidential election.

The SLP is also in favour of the abolition of the Scottish Government’s scheme to give every child in Scotland a named “guardian” to oversee their welfare.

It is preparing to publish its manifesto which it says will offer cuts to corporation tax and a raft of promises on reforming criminal justice issues, including the decriminalisation of cannabis use and sex work. The party also supports scrapping Trident.

Findlay, who is the SLP’s leader, said: “We need to stop punishing people for crimes where there is no victim. When there is no victim, there is no crime. We are the only party that genuinely wants to reduce the tax burden, promote enterprise and reduce welfare dependency. Freedom of speech and association are fundamental to a civilised society.”

On the NHS, the party’s draft manifesto is in favour of cutting spending and is “looking at worldwide best practice in healthcare to improve efficiency and treatment and reduce cost”.