SCOTLAND risks being taken out of Europe if the Conservatives win the General Election in May, Nicola Sturgeon has warned.

The First Minister spoke at Westminster of the benefits EU membership brings to Scotland and it could be lost if Ukip sets the agenda south of the border.

Ms Sturgeon said foreign owned firms employ more than 300,000 people and almost half were from EU countries.

She said more than 300,000 Scots jobs were dependent on EU exports and EU funds amount to almost £1bn to boost employment and tackle poverty.

Ms Sturgeon said: "For too long, the Westminster establishment have been dancing to UKIP's tune - the Tories are running scared of UKIP, and Labour are too scared to challenge them.

"But the SNP will put the importance of our place in Europe at the heart of our General Election campaign - and a strong SNP will change the terms of the debate on Europe throughout the UK.

"Being forced out of the European Union and its single market by a UK exit referendum threatens a jobs disaster for Scotland - and one which people in Scotland can resist by voting SNP."

The Conservative Party wants to reform the EU and Britain's role, promising a referendum on EU membership if it wins another term, and Ukip wants Britain to withdraw completely.

Ms Sturgeon added: "Quite simply, exiting the EU threatens Scotland's economic success, anti-poverty initiatives, and the social and cultural benefits of being a nation in Europe.

"That is why we are proposing the democratic safeguard that the UK could only exit the European Union if all of the four nations - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - voted to do so, as well as the UK as a whole."