A former head of the American consulate in Edinburgh has accused the UK government of being intellectually dishonest in its arguments against Scottish independence.

Dana Linnet, who served as Barack Obama’s principal officer in Scotland, criticised the attitude of Conservative ministers towards an independent Scotland being part of the European Union.

She was a key go-between for the Scottish government and the White House during her three years in post, particularly after the release on compassionate grounds of Abdul Baset Ali al-Megrahi, the Lockerbie bomber, in 2009.

The need for an independent Scotland to reapply for EU membership was highlighted as a negative of secession, both culturally and economically, during the 2014 referendum campaign.

Since the Brexit referendum two years later the fact that trade