What could this election mean for Scottish independence?

They say winning a majority of Scottish seats at Westminster should be enough to open negotiations for a referendum.

They have won that level of support at the last three UK elections. Achieving the same success seems more in doubt this time if the trend in opinion polls is to be believed.

Independence still has substantial support among the Scottish public but achieving it remains somewhere over the rainbow.

It is not the predominant issue in this campaign, even though both nationalist and unionist politicians may, at times, use it to motivate their core supporters.

There are arguably far more pressing matters that voters want politicians of all parties to focus on – like the cost of living crisis, lengthy waiting times in the NHS, standards in education.

Many of these issues are under control at Holyrood, where the SNP has been in government for the last 17 years.

The SNP argues that it has not had enough resources from Conservative-led governments at Westminster over the last 14 years.