A LONG-DELAYED SNP report updating the case for independence will be published in the New Year, Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed.

The First Minister said the findings of the party’s Growth Commission, first announced in September 2016, would make the economic case for prosperity outside the UK.

Led by corporate lobbyist Andrew Wilson, a former SNP MSP, the report will cover the currency of an independent Scotland, tax policy and growth strategies.

After losing a third of her MPs in the general election, Ms Sturgeon mothballed her plan for a second referendum before Brexit, putting off a definitive decision to autumn 2018.

The UK government is opposed to granting Holyrood the power to hold a new vote.

An SNP spokesperson: “We look forward to the Growth Commission publishing its report in the coming months. It will make recommendations to bolster Scotland’s economy in the short-term, in face of post-Brexit challenges and in the context of the opportunities offered by independence.”