A belief that Caithness would be better off running its own affairs has come to the fore as a result of years of neglect by the Scottish Government, Nicola Sturgeon has been told.

Far north MP Jamie Stone warned the First Minister that hundreds of his constituents would prefer to “go it alone” under a breakaway local authority and health board.

Blaming SNP centralisation for creating a “secessionist” movement in the area, he called on the Scottish Government to expand the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018 to include remote and rural mainland areas.

Mr Stone wrote to Ms Sturgeon after a petition was lodged at the Scottish Parliament asking for Caithness County Council to be reinstated and a Caithness NHS board to be set up. The petition, submitted by Thurso community councillor Billy Sinclair, has attracted 720 signatures.

Mr Stone, the Liberal Democrat MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, said: “The SNP government has neglected remote rural Scotland to the point where hundreds of my far north constituents now wish to ‘go it alone’.

Want to see more SNP fails? – Economic Matters