UKIP launches Scottish manifesto in Falkirk

UKIP have launched their Scottish manifesto in Falkirk with a commitment to hold a constitutional convention to debate the future of the UK.

David Coburn MEP said he wanted it to look at a number of areas, including the way Scotland is funded.

The party also remains committed to its main goal of taking the UK out of the European Union.

There was no hard copy of the Scottish manifesto available at the launch as it was "delayed in the Bank Holiday post".

Mr Coburn said he wanted to see the Barnett formula, which allocates funds to Scotland, discussed in a constitutional convention after the election.

He said his party wants Scotland to be re-industrialised and accused the SNP of wanting to take Scotland back to "the days of William Wallace" with "people living in mud huts".

Mr Coburn, who was elected as an MEP in Scotland last year, said there were a lot of "quiet UKIP voters" across Scotland who are "frightened of cyber nats" but "quietly voting UKIP as they did when they put me in".

'Stick it'

The anti-EU, pro-UK party's policies for Scotland include a move towards federalism, with a constitutional convention to establish a future UK framework for the governance of the country.

Other policies include a pledge for Scottish MPs to abstain from voting on English matters, the retention and renewal of the Trident nuclear missile system and the introduction of fracking if it is proved safe and wanted by local people.

On the issue of fracking, Mr Coburn added: "I think it is essential ... if some people had their way we would still be with William Wallace in a cave.

"If you want to have modern technology, you have to break a few eggs.

"Fracking has to be done safely and must be done properly."

On defence and Trident, Mr Coburn criticised the SNP's policy of not renewing Britain's nuclear deterrent, which is currently based at Faslane on the Clyde.

"I don't want to see Scotland turned into some stripped pine Scandinavian, peacenik sauna republic that the SNP seek to create," he said.

"They can take it and stick it."

Mr Coburn and his colleagues shrugged off suggestions that the party was "amateur" in Scotland, after failing to provide copies of its manifesto at the launch.

He was quizzed on why some candidates had failed to attend hustings events in their constituencies.

Mr Coburn said UKIP's candidates were "real people with real jobs" and added: "I would rather have real people, people like myself, people who actually have a job, rather than folk who are just in it for the game."

Policy guide: Where the parties stand