SCOTTISH First Minister Humza Yousaf has accused the Tory government of inflicting “significant damage” on Scotland’s rural economy amid growing labour shortages.

Mr Yousaf made the comments ahead of a visit to a farm on Stornaway, part of the Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency his party are widely predicted lose to Labour at the forthcoming general election.

Blaming long-term trends of depopulation on Brexit, Mr Yousaf expressed frustration that his plan  — backed by the National Farmers Union — to import labour through a rural visa pilot had been rejected.