A pro-independence blogger has been granted an appeal in a legal battle against former Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale.

Stuart Campbell - of the Wings Over Scotland blog - accused Ms Dugdale of defamation after she claimed in a newspaper column he had sent "homophobic tweets".

A sheriff ruled in Ms Dugdale's favour after a hearing earlier this year.

However on Tuesday, sheriffs sitting in the Sheriff Appeal Court in Edinburgh ruled that their colleagues in the Court of Session should hear an appeal from Mr Campbell.

Mr Campbell, of Bath, Somerset, sued Ms Dugdale for defamation.

Sheriff Nigel Ross ruled that Ms Dugdale was incorrect to imply that Mr Campbell was homophobic but concluded that her comments were protected under the principles of fair comment.

Mr Campbell's legal team are appealing the ruling.

Advocate Craig Sandison QC argued that Sheriff Ross made his decision on English case law and said he wanted the Court of Session to give an "authoritative definition of defamation" in Scotland.

Sheriff Ross ruled that Ms Dugdale was not liable to pay any damages to Mr Campbell, who had been seeking £25,000.

The case centred on a tweet posted by Mr Campbell during the Conservative Party conference in 2017 in which he said that Tory MSP Oliver Mundell "is the sort of public speaker that makes you wish his dad had embraced his homosexuality sooner".

Mr Mundell's father is former Scottish secretary David Mundell.

In January 2016, he came out as gay in a decision he described as "one of the most important of my life."

In a column printed in the Daily Record, Ms Dugdale wrote that Mr Campbell's tweets were "homophobic".

She also accused him of spouting "hatred and homophobia towards others" from his Twitter account.

She later raised the tweets in the Scottish Parliament and called on SNP politicians to "shun" Mr Campbell.

Mr Campbell strongly denied his tweet was a homophobic reference to David Mundell being gay and insisted that his message was "satirical criticism" of his son's public speaking skills.

At a hearing heard in Edinburgh Sheriff Court, Mr Campbell said he was a "firm advocate of equal rights for gay people" and said it was "absurd" to describe his tweet as homophobic.

In his written judgement in April, Sheriff Ross said Ms Dugdale was incorrect to imply that Mr Campbell was homophobic - but concluded that her article was protected under the principle of fair comment.

The sheriff said: "Her comments were fair, even though incorrect."

The court later awarded full expenses to Ms Dugdale, plus a 50% top-up - which Mr Campbell said would leave him having to pay a total bill of about £100,000.

On Tuesday, Ms Dugdale's lawyer Roddy Dunlop QC said he was "neutral" about the Court of Session being asked to consider the point about whether English legal principles could be used in Scottish defamation cases.

He said that the present legal authority which is used by Scottish judges in defamation cases dates from 1921.

Mr Dunlop added: "My learned friend is absolutely correct in saying that there's a paucity of authorities in this matter."

Sheriff Principal Murray then referred the case to the Court of Session.