Alba members call on leader to 'fight election or resign'

A group of Alba Party members have called on leader Kenny MacAskill to stand down if he is not willing to lead the party into the Scottish Parliament election.

MacAskill said the party was unlikely to contest the vote and warned over its long-term sustainability due to a "perilous financial position".

However, leading figures including former SNP MP Angus MacNeil, ex-Solidarity leader Tommy Sheridan and Christina Hendry, niece of late party founder, Alex Salmond, want to field candidates on the regional list.

The Alba Party has been contacted for comment.

A statement by the members, under the name of The Alba Continuation Group, calls for MacAskill to "commit to fighting" the election in May or "resign and allow others to lead the fight".

Hendry said: "It is abundantly clear that the wider Alba membership want a say in the future of the party.

"Kenny MacAskill and others within the small leadership group must see reason.

"It's time to put the future of the party to a full membership vote, this should be a decision for the 4,000 members, not the four in the leadership team."

MacAskill became leader of Alba following former leader Salmond's death in October 2024.

Earlier this week, he told BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast the party's financial difficulties were due to it being defrauded.

Police Scotland has been investigating allegations of "irregularities" in the party's finances since May last year.

It followed a row between the party and its former general secretary, Chris McEleny.

McEleny was dismissed last year after being accused of gross misconduct.

A source previously told BBC Scotland he was "completely content" that the finances of the party under Salmond's leadership "were both sound and compliant".