A right-wing think tank's report that claims Scottish independence could transform the nation into "Greece without the sun" has been branded as "unforgiveable hypocrisy" by the SNP.

The Centre for Policy Studies acknowledged Scotland is being taken out of the European Union against its will but said leaving the United Kingdom in response "would entail significant economic risk".

The think tank, founded by former Conservative prime minister Margaret Thatcher, drew parallels between Scotland and debt-ridden Greece in a report entitled "Scotland: Could it become Greece without the sun?"

The report admits that another independence referendum would have "some logic" from a democratic standpoint as Scotland faces being taken out of the EU against the will of its people.

But it claims the economic argument for a split from the UK is harder to make.

It reads: "Scotland's budget deficit is currently over three times higher than the UK average as a percentage of GDP.

"North Sea oil and gas revenue expectations have plunged. Expected revenues of £6.8bn to £7.9bn this year have fallen to just £0.5bn to £2.8bn.

"Two-thirds of Scotland's exports go to the rest of the UK but just 15% go to other EU countries, further questioning the economic rationale behind Scottish independence.

"Euro membership would expose Scotland to the risk of more asymmetric economic shocks and the European Central Bank would be less capable of responding to shocks compared to the Bank of England."

The report concludes: "There is a precedent for a small, romantic country, surrounded by hundreds of islands, perched on the extremity of Europe, seeking membership of the euro: Greece.

"Of course, it would be impertinent to suggest that Scotland's circumstances are directly equivalent to those of Greece, but it does undoubtedly serve as a useful reminder that countries with challenging public finances can end up suffering inside the euro."

An SNP spokesperson said Brexit posed a greater risk to Scotland's economic situation than independence.

He said: "This is unforgiveable hypocrisy, coming from a right-wing Tory think tank founded by Margaret Thatcher and backed by Brexiteers who have taken the UK economy to the edge of a cliff.

"Even the authors of this report admit that the bogus economic comparisons they seek to draw with Scotland are 'impertinent' - and the reality is that Scotland is the wealthiest part of the UK per head outside London and south-east England.

"The biggest risk to Scotland's economic stability and security - without any question - is the threat to take us out of the EU and a single market of almost 500 million people."

Scottish Conservative shadow economy secretary Dean Lockhart said: "Although departure from the EU may cause some difficulties, those difficulties won't be addressed by leaving the UK too.

"We must remember that the UK economy is four times more valuable to Scotland than the EU's. Calling another knee-jerk independence referendum would make the uncertainty even greater.

"The SNP was repeatedly told about the financial risks of separation in the run-up to the 2014 vote. The party ignored them then, and has shown no signs of heeding them this time either."