IFS warns Scottish deficit has become three times greater than UK's

Forecast from the Institute for Fiscal Studies says a collapse in oil prices has left a growing gap between Scottish spending and tax income

A fresh economic forecast released to coincide with the day Scotland was to become independent has warned the country's deficit has deepened, projected to be more than three times greater than the UK.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies figures were released as Nicola Sturgeon launched the first phase of the Scottish National party's campaign for the Holyrood election in May, urging her party's 129 candidates to fight harder than ever to secure a second successive majority government.

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