Nicola Sturgeon fired both barrels at her former boss Alex Salmond today as she blasted those ‘who treat politics like a game’ amid a wave of defections to his new party.
The First Minister launched a thinly-veiled attack on her predecessor after several of her MPs and councillors defected to his new Alba nationalist group.
Mr Salmond announced Alba would stand candidates in the Holyrood elections in May, seeking to strengthen the movement for Scottish independence.
But it comes amid a furious civil war in the SNP between followers of the current and former party leaders, over a sexual harassment probe into Mr Salmond, who was later cleared of all wrong-doing.
Speaking in Glasgow as part of the SNP’s election campaign this morning, Ms Sturgeon said: ‘I don’t have much time these days for the ”who’s up/who’s down” approach to politics.
‘And I definitely have much less patience for those who treat politics like a game – and for indulging anyone who puts self interest ahead of the country’s best interests.’
The First Minister launched a thinly-veiled attack on her predecessor after several of her MPs and councillors defected to his new Alba nationalist group.
Two senior councillors announced they were quitting the party to line up alongside the former First Minister, who announced a dramatic return to Scottish politics last week.
Michelle Ferns (left), who sits on Glasgow City Council, and Ellen McMaster (right), who represents Arran on North Ayrshire Council, announced they were jumping ship to join Mr Salmond
Two senior councillors announced they were quitting the party to line up alongside the former First Minister, who announced a dramatic return to Scottish politics last week.
Michelle Ferns, who sits on Glasgow City Council, and Ellen McMaster, who represents Arran on North Ayrshire Council, announced they were jumping ship to join Mr Salmond.
Their defections come after two Westminster SNP MPs joined Alba at the weekend.
Neale Hanvey, who represents Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath, revealed yesterday he would be a candidate at Hoylrood elections in May.
Former SNP justice secretary Kenny MacAskill had already said he was jumping ship.
The SNP’s national women’s convener, Councillor Caroline McAllister transfer to the Alba Party at the weekend, along with Lynne Anderson, the former national equalities convener.
Ms Ferns is also planning to stand as an MSP in the elections in six weeks’ time. In a statement announing here change of allegience, she said she ‘would be honoured to be a strong working-class voice within the party delivering for the people of Glasgow’ in May’s elections.
McMaster, a member of the SNP’s member conduct committee, told The National: ‘Everything I do is about that vision of where we want to go as a nation. The SNP has made massive improvements to the lives of the people of Scotland. It feels like we have stalled. It’s time to galvanise the movement.
Kenny MacAskill MP (left) is deserting Nicola Sturgeon to stand for the newly-launched Alba party in May’s Holyrood elections. Neale Hanvey (right), who represents Kircaldy and Cowdenbeath at Westminster, has also declared that he is joining Alba
Scotland operates a version of proportional representation, and Alba is only standing ‘list’ – or ‘additional’ MSP – candidates rather than running in the first-past-the-post constituency contests that could have inflicted more serious damage to the nationalists. Pollsters say that means it is more likely to hurt opposition parties, who typically end up with most of the list seats. The chart shows the result from the last Holyrood election in 2016
Alex Salmond faced anger yesterday after he suggested Scots could take to the streets to force another independence referendum, before urging Nicola Sturgeon to bury the hatchet and work with him to obtain one.
The former First Minister turned up the temperature in the ferocious debate by mooting ‘street demonstrations’ if Boris Johnson refused to agree to another vote on splitting the UK.
Mr Salmond made clear that he has not ‘forgiven’ Ms Sturgeon for the bitter row over the Scottish government’s handling of harassment complaints against him. He was awarded more than £500,000 and later cleared at a trial.
But he admitted that she is the ‘only viable’ candidate to be First Minister after the elections in May, and said the drive to split up the UK would be his priority over ‘personal differences’.
‘I’m not saying forgive. I’m saying these sorts of things – when it’s the future of a country at stake – you have to put the past behind you, and campaign for the future,’ he told Times Radio.
Mr Salmond was also accused of a ‘dog whistle’ to independence extremists by suggesting ‘peaceful street demonstrations’ could be held if Westminster denies a referendum.