The SNP is meeting for its annual conference this weekend ahead of a significant week in the debate over independence.

The three-day conference in Aberdeen will see a range of issues debated from abortion to the proposed referendum in 2023.

Nicola Sturgeon said she will reveal an economic plan for Scottish independence next week.

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The First Minister said economic issues would be specified in a new paper in the same week as the UK Supreme Court is due to hear evidence ahead of its determination on whether it is within the Scottish Parliament’s powers to hold a referendum.

Sturgeon said: "Obviously, I can't determine exactly when the Supreme Court will issue its judgment after next week's hearing.

"But assuming we get a judgement round about the turn of the year, then there is time for the Scottish Parliament to legislate for a referendum in October next year.

"Next week we'll set out the next of the Building a New Scotland papers that will look at specifically economic issues."

The conference will debate motions on a range of issues over three days.

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It will discuss asylum seekers policy and the UK flights taking people to Rwanda and alternatives to detention for those seeking asylum.

Other motions include raising the school starting age, pensions in an independent Scotland, and abortion protest buffer zones outside hospitals and health clinics.

A proposal to extend free school meals to secondary pupils and issues around he cost of living - including the higher charges for repayment meters - are also on the agenda.

Cabinet ministers will be speaking throughout the weekend and the FM will make her leader's address on Monday to close the conference.

Opponents said that the SNP was prioritising independence over the cost-of-living crisis.

Donald Cameron, the Conservative's constitution, external affairs and culture spokesman, said: “This is just typical of Nicola Sturgeon’s skewed priorities.

“We are in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, with families across the country struggling to make ends meet.

“Yet instead of telling us how they will help ordinary people right now, the SNP have kicked their emergency budget review down the road in favour of producing a self-indulgent and no doubt misleading paper on the economics of independence.

“From pensions to the deficit, the SNP have no credible ideas for how to run the economy in an independent Scotland.”

The Glasgow Times will be reporting live from the SNP conference over the weekend with regular updates on glasgowtimes.co.uk and in Monday’s paper.