Scottish Deputy First Minister John Swinney and Bob Geldof joined thousands of people who slept out in freezing conditions in Edinburgh to raise money to tackle homelessness.

Scotland has rebutted claims from the UK that a vote for independence will be punitively expensive, stressing the economy’s strength and demanding its fair share of assets in the event of a break-up of the union.

The chief executive of Diageo was challenged to explain directly to workers why the company rejected Scottish government-backed plans aimed at saving hundreds of whisky jobs.

The row over the Irish Prime Minister's cancelled visit to Scotland has intensified as the Labour MP at the centre of the controversy suggested Dublin leaked damaging information to the press.