THE SNP’s largest affiliate body is to hold a meeting open to all party members with the aim of taking the “opportunity to materially shape the strategy of independence”.

The Trade Union Group (TUG), which represents some 13,000 members of the party, said that 2023 would be “crucial” to the independence movement and the SNP specifically and called on ordinary members to make their voices heard.

The event, which is aimed at TUG members but open to anyone in the SNP, will take place in Glasgow on Saturday August 26 – a few days after the provisional agenda for the party’s October national conference is due to be published.

The TUG said its meeting would open a space to “enable members to formulate and submit amendments” for that autumn conference, including on key areas such as independence strategy and the ongoing SNP governance review.

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Bill Ramsay, the TUG convener, told The National: “2023 is a crucial year for the future of the SNP specifically and the wider independence movement more generally.

“For the first time in many years ordinary members are afforded an opportunity to materially shape the strategy of independence and the structure and procedures of the movement’s largest vehicle, the Scottish National Party.

“Our event, sponsored by ten parliamentarians, five from Holyrood and five from Westminster, drawn from across the party, is designed to give an opportunity and a space where members can materially influence the course of these crucial debates that will ultimately take place between October 15 and 17 at the annual conference in Aberdeen.”

The TUG is for now tight-lipped about naming the parliamentarians who have sponsored the event, with that and further details to be published in due course.

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The SNP’s annual conference in October is expected to debate the route to independence, after a decision was postponed from the special conference held in Dundee in June.

The deadline to submit draft resolutions for debate passed at 9am on Monday morning.

SNP policy convener Toni Giugliano told The Sunday National the October conference would be particularly important in shaping the manifesto ahead of the General Election and urged members to participate in ensuring there would be a “grassroots-led” agenda.

There have been calls in recent weeks for the SNP’s membership to have a fresh say on the Bute House partnership agreement with the Greens.

For further information about the TUG meeting, people are asked to contact @TUG_SNP on Twitter/X for the time being.