THE Tories have criticised Nicola Sturgeon for promoting a new SNP video guide on digital campaigning for Scottish independence.

Yesterday the First Minister shared the video which provides the Yes movement with digital resources to help with campaigning.

The SNP encouraged people to share the video guide on social media to help build “a better, independent Scotland".

The new campaigning resource has not gone down well with the Scottish Tories, with the party hitting out at Sturgeon for sharing the video guide.

A Scottish Tory spokesman told The Times: “All the First Minister should be focused on is steering the country through the pandemic and ensuring restrictions continue to ease as planned. The last thing she should be doing is promoting another divisive independence campaign to appease her party’s supporters.”

READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon seeks to gee up Yes movement with new digital campaign

Stephen Kerr, Tory MSP for the Central Scotland region, described the new campaigning as "a big song and dance".

He tweeted: "It's quite clear the SNP are feeling the need to throw some red meat to their base, pressured by Alex Salmond's party.

"This is a big song and dance and when they're done, all the problems they've left in Holyrood will still be there, needing action."

Ahead of the Holyrood election, the SNP pledged to hold indyref2 in the first half of this parliamentary term - but Sturgeon has stressed the vote will only take place once the Covid crisis has passed.

However, some in the Yes movement have complained that the Scottish Government is not moving fast enough with SNP MP Joanna Cherry recently saying that "things have gone awfully quiet on the independence front" since the vote in May.

It comes as a candidate to be the next general secretary of Unite has made clear that she backs "self-determination" for Scotland and signalled the possibility of the trade union ending funding to Scottish Labour.

READ MORE: Blow for Sarwar as Unite candidate signals funding to Scottish Labour may end

Sharon Graham said that the policy on independence and indyref2 should be decided by Unite's Scottish members.

She told the Daily Record: “As far as indyref2 is concerned, I have long believed in self-determination. It’s up to the Scottish people to decide what they want to do. Whatever that outcome will be their decision, not anybody else’s decision. And that goes for how I intend to run the union.”

Adding that the parliamentary Labour Party has "never won a pay rise for workers, they’ve never won a strike for workers", Graham said that she wants to take back control of how Unite works with Scottish Labour.

She said: “I think for too long it has been the political tail wagging the industrial dog, and I really want that to go back the other way.”