PROMINENT figures from the arts and academia have piled pressure on Nicola Sturgeon ahead of the SNP conference by publishing their own “declaration of independence”.

The 50 signatories - including actor Brian Cox, author Val McDermid and historian Sir Tom Devine - said staying in the Union meant Scots giving up their right to “decide their own destiny”.

The 12-point declaration set out the “guiding principles” for a new state, including a written constitution, and the expulsion of the Trident nuclear deterrent.

Scotland should refuse to “maintain, stock or use, for itself or on behalf of any other power or government, chemical, biological or nuclear weapons”, it said.

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The group also called for central and local government to be “more accountable to the people and more beneficial to their needs”, and said “profit and economic growth should not be pursued at the expense of the wellbeing of the people”.

The 501-word manifesto concluded: “It is our belief that the best option now open to the Scottish people is for Scotland to become an independent country.

“The alternative is to accept that Scotland’s fate would remain in the hands of others and that the Scottish people would relinquish their right to decide their own destiny.”

The document adds to the pressure on the First Minister to explain exactly how she intends to deliver and win a second independence referendum.

Ms Sturgeon, who gives her keynote speech to SNP conference in Aberdeen on Tuesday, has said she wants Indyref2 to be held in the second half of 2020.

However no legislation has yet been passed at Holyrood, and she has yet to request - far less secure - the required power from Westminster.

READ MORE: In full: The signatories of the 2019 'Declaration of independence'

She has also failed to explain how a Yes vote next autumn could translate into independence before the 2021 Holyrood election just nine months later.

Ms Sturgeon has yet to produce a second White Paper on independence, while the SNP’s new Commission on Social Justice, on tackling poverty after a Yes vote, has yet to meet.

She also signalled a cautious approach in her introduction to the conference agenda.

“Support for independence – and for a referendum – is on the rise across Scotland. But we must also reach outwards and engage those who are not yet persuaded of the benefits of independence,” she wrote.

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Ms Sturgeon faces growing criticism from many of her own supporters for snubbing a series of pro-independence marches organised by the All Under One Banner group, including one that attracted of tens of thousands of people to Edinburgh on Saturday.

Opinion polls show Scots are split roughly 50-50 on whether to leave the UK, with Brexit pushing some Remain voters who backed No in 2014 to move into the Yes camp.

SNP depute leader Keith Brown said: "This is a very welcome and hugely significant intervention, showing that it is the vision of Scotland as a successful independent country that offers people hope, at a time when the UK Government and Westminster parties have brought only despair.

“It's clearer than ever that the Westminster system is broken beyond repair. The people of Scotland deserve the choice of a better future than the one being imposed upon us.

"Scotland must have the choice to decide its own future.

"It’s for the people of Scotland to decide how they are governed – not a Tory party which has been rejected by Scottish voters at every election and is soon likely to be out of office."

Tory MSP Adam Tomkins said: “It’s telling that this declaration does not secure the rights of Scottish children to a decent education and first world health service — two things seriously under threat thanks to the SNP’s constant campaigning for indyref2.

“The signatories to this manifesto are highly respected, yet they too must respect the wishes of the people of Scotland to remain within the United Kingdom.”

Pamela Nash, chief executive of Scotland in Union, said: “hese guiding principles don’t explain how a separate Scotland would deal with the huge cuts in public spending that would impact on education for young people and lifeline services for the most vulnerable in society.

“Whatever your views on Brexit, Scexit is not the answer. Breaking up the UK would be eight times worse for our economy than even the worst-case Brexit scenario.

“More and more former Yes voters now want to remain in the UK to protect vital public services and save the pound. The best future for Scotland is as part of the UK, allowing us to grow our economy and invest in public services.”

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The Declaration for Independence, 2019

It is the sovereign right of the Scottish people to determine the form of government best suited to their needs.

(A Claim of Right for Scotland, 1989)

Guiding principles for a new and better Scotland

· It is the sovereign right of the Scottish people to determine the form of government best suited to their needs, now and in the future. In all political deliberations, decisions and actions their interests should be paramount.

· Scotland should be an open and democratic society in which no individual is excluded, oppressed or discriminated against on account of their race, colour, faith, origin or place of birth, physical or mental capacity, sex, sexuality,gender or language.

· Scotland should have a written constitution which clearly lays out the rights of its citizens, the country’s system of government and the relationships that exist between government, its instruments and powers and the rights of individual citizens.

· Scotland should take its place as an independent country on the world stage, free to join international organisations and alliances for purposes of trade and commerce, and for the protection and care of the planet’s natural environment, without which the human race cannot survive.

· Scotland should uphold internationally acknowledged values of non- aggression and self-defence, and should refuse to maintain, stock or use, for itself or on behalf of any other power or government, chemical, biological or nuclear weapons or any other weapons of mass destruction.

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· There should be clear separation of the powers of the Scottish parliament and government (the executive). The judiciary should be completely independent of government.

· Independence will provide an opportunity to review and, where necessary, change the systems of both national and local government, in order to make them more accountable to the people and more beneficial to their needs.

· Ownership of land, property and natural resources should be subject to open and democratic scrutiny. The ability of communities, both rural and urban, to own the land in and on which they exist should be enhanced and extended.

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There should be total transparency in the way property in Scotland is bought, sold or possessed.

· Freedom of speech and action, and the freedom to work, create, buy, sell and do business should adhere to principles of environmental and communal sustainability and responsibility. Profit and economic growth should not be pursued at the expense of the wellbeing of the people or their habitat or that of other people or nations.

· We affirm the values of care, kindness, neighbourliness and generosity of spirit in all our dealings. Such values are the foundation stones of a fair, free and open society where all citizens have the opportunities to lead the best, most fulfilling lives they can.

· It is our belief that the best option now open to the Scottish people is for Scotland to become an independent country.

· The alternative is to accept that Scotland’s fate would remain in the hands of others and that the Scottish people would relinquish their right to decide their own destiny.

Signatories

Iain Anderson, broadcaster

Peter Arnott, playwright

Neal Ascherson, journalist and writer

Aly Bain, musician

Margaret Bennett, folklorist and singer

Robert Black QC, Professor Emeritus of Scots Law

Christine Borland, visual artist

Stuart Braithwaite, musician

Calum Colvin, visual artist

Roddy Buchanan, visual artist

Stuart Cosgrove, writer and broadcaster

Brian Cox, actor

Robert Crawford, writer

Sir Tom Devine, Professor Emeritus of Scottish History

Lari Don, writer

Jenni Fagan, writer

Rt. Rev. Richard Holloway, writer and broadcaster

Robert Hodgens, musician

Kathleen Jamie, poet and writer

Jamie Jauncey, writer

A.L. Kennedy, writer

Liz Lochhead, poet, playwright, former Makar

Val McDermid, writer

Jamie MacDougall, singer and broadcaster

Lorraine Mackintosh, actor and singer

Dr. Dolina Maclennan, writer and broadcaster

Aonghas MacNeacail, poet and broadcaster

Dr. Ann Matheson, literary historian

Karen Matheson, singer

Alexander Moffat, artist

Jemma Neville, author

Andrew O’Hagan, writer

Aidan O’Rourke, musician and composer

Don Paterson, poet

Karine Polwart, musician and writer

Eddi Reader, singer

Prof. Alan Riach, poet and academic

James Robertson, writer

Donald Shaw, musician, composer and producer

Ross Sinclair, visual artist

Donald Smith, storyteller

Elaine C. Smith, actor

Alan Spence, writer

Will Storrar, minister and academic

Gerda Stevenson, writer and actor

Sheena Wellington, singer

Prof. Gary West, musician and broadcaster

Ruth Wishart, journalist and broadcaster