SCOTLAND must have the chance to determine its own future after a year that made it clear why the country needs independence, the SNP has said.

The General Election result, which showed a landslide victory for the party, showed starkly that Scotland wants to go in a different political direction than England.

The result, which has handed Boris Johnson at least five more years as Prime Minister, will see Scotland dragged out of the EU against the will of its people, who voted overwhelmingly to remain.

During the 2014 referendum the No campaign argued that Boris Johnson would never become Prime Minister – and that the way for Scotland to stay in the EU was to vote No.

Both of those fears came true despite the campaign winning the referendum.

Opinion polls have shown support for independence growing even ahead of the General Election.

Commenting on the state of politics in 2019, SNP Depute Leader Keith Brown said the case for independence “has never

been clearer”.

He added: “In 2014 we were told that voting No meant staying in the EU and voting Yes meant leaving.

“The reality is that, not only are we being dragged out of the EU against our will, but we’re facing yet more Tory governments we didn’t vote for.

“Scotland has been completely ignored since the Brexit vote”.

He added: “Our compromise proposals were completely disregarded – and now Northern Ireland has been handed a special deal that puts Scotland at a competitive disadvantage. No wonder people across Scotland – many of whom are not natural independence supporters – are now thinking again.

“The democratic deficit is as clear as it has ever been.

“Scotland’s future must be in Scotland’s hands – not

Boris Johnson’s.”

In her New Year message, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “In the year ahead the Scottish

Government will do everything we can to mitigate the worst impacts of Brexit.”

She promised that the Government will “work to ensure that people in Scotland have the chance to determine our own future, by deciding whether we wish to become an independent country”.