THE DOMINANCE of Scotland's £45 billion export market with the rest of the UK is a weakness and not a strength, a senior SNP MSP has said.

Joan McAlpine said Scotland was too reliant on one “customer” and should learn from Ireland’s experience.

She said Ireland used to send 80 per cent of its exports to the UK, but this had fallen to just 17% as trade with the European Union boomed.

Pamela Nash, chief executive of anti-independence group Scotland in Union, said the comments would "stun businesses across Scotland".

Ms McAlpine, who is the convener of Holyrood’s culture, tourism, Europe and external affairs committee, was speaking at a fringe meeting at the SNP’s autumn conference.

She said: “If you were a business and most of your trade was with one customer, you wouldn’t see that as a strength — you would see that as a weakness.

“You want to be diverse and have as many customers as possible.

“That’s what’s happened with Ireland’s membership of the EU, without damaging its trade with the UK.

“And that’s what could happen to Scotland as well, in my view.

“And I think that’s a point that we should be making more and perhaps will make more in the coming months and years.”

Scotland exported more than £45 billion in goods and services to England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2016. Exports to the EU totalled £12.7bn.

Ms McAlpine said the UK struggled with the fact Ireland “calls the shots” in the current Brexit negotiations, insisting it still has a “colonial mentality” towards the country.

She made the comments during a discussion of “independence in Europe”, in which she also argued Spain would not veto Scotland’s future membership of the EU if it broke away from the UK.

Critics have previously argued Spain would stand in the way of an independent Scotland joining the bloc to avoid fuelling separatist movements in Catalonia.

The South Scotland MSP said last year’s failed Catalonian referendum illustrated the EU “will go to the wall for a member state”.

But she added: “The UK is not going to be a member state when Scotland applies to join as an independent country, so it’s going to be completely different.

“The UK, after March next year, will not have any clout in Europe whatsoever. So I don’t think that will happen.”

SNP MEP Alyn Smith said Spain had made clear a Scottish independence vote with the agreement of the UK would not be a problem.

But he said nothing could be taken for granted and EU membership would not be automatic.

Ms Nash said being part of the UK was key to Scotland's economic growth, generating thousands of jobs and boosting revenues. 

She said: "The fact that Joan McAlpine considers this to be a weakness shows how little she cares about the impact on people's livelihoods in the persuit of independence at all costs."