Plans to launch a new currency called the “Scottish pound” in the wake of a Yes vote to Scottish independence will be detailed next week, Nicola Sturgeon has revealed.

The First Minister said the Scottish Government was planning to publish the next in its series of independence prospectus papers shortly after the SNP conference this weekend.

She said that the third paper in the series would deal with the economy and currency of an independent Scotland, which would be a key issue in any future referendum campaign.

The SNP’s current policy is for an independent Scotland to keep the UK pound until it is in a position to launch its own, separate currency.

This is different to the position it adopted before 2014’s referendum, when Alex Salmond proposed a formal currency union with the rest of the UK.

This was firmly rejected by the then Chancellor George Osborne, leaving voters in doubt over what would actually happen following a “Yes” vote.

The SNP has previously said that its new Scottish currency would not be launched until six stringent fiscal tests are passed, including the creation of a new central bank, the cutting of the country’s budget deficit to a sustainable level and building up “sufficient currency reserves” – a process that could take years.

Speaking on the eve of the SNP’s conference, which opens in Aberdeen on Saturday, Ms Sturgeon said the finalised details of this policy would be announced within days.

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