Four senior Alba members offered to take over the party to contest the Scottish election
Party leader Kenny MacAskill revealed the party is in a 'perilous financial position'
The current leadership feels unable to continue but remains in position
The party faces significant financial hurdles including lack of funds for deposits and campaigning
Police are investigating 'irregularities' in the party's finances
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Four senior Alba Party members including Tommy Sheridan, Angus MacNeil, Christina Hendry, and Suzanne Blackley have offered to take over the pro-independence party to ensure it can contest the upcoming Scottish Parliament election in May, following leader Kenny MacAskill's revelation that the organization faces a 'perilous financial position' that threatens its ability to field candidates. The move came after MacAskill informed members that the party was unlikely to participate in the May election due to severe financial constraints. In a joint statement, the four members indicated that the current leadership 'feel unable to continue' while acknowledging 'extraordinary efforts to date to ensure the survival of the party.' MacAskill, however, maintained his position as leader, stating that any change in election strategy would need to be financially viable and that a leadership change would require a 'democratic mandate.' The former SNP MP and MSP emphasized that Alba was currently 'struggling to survive' and had to prioritize clearing its debts, noting they lack the funds to meet election deposits or campaigning costs. The development represents a critical moment for Alba, which was launched by former SNP leader Alex Salmond in March 2021 with the aim of building 'a supermajority for independence' at Holyrood. The party has struggled to gain electoral traction, polling only 1.7% in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election without winning any seats. The financial crisis comes amid a police investigation into 'irregularities' in the party's finances following a complaint raised in May 2024. The four offering to take over leadership warn that failing to contest the election would allow unionist parties 'an easy ride' into parliament and waste 'hundreds of thousands of pro-independence votes.' They have called for a membership vote, a 'fighting fund,' and discussions with existing leadership about a potential transition, though significant logistical and financial hurdles remain before the party can realistically contest the May election.
🏷️ Themes
Scottish Politics, Party Finances, Independence Movement
Thomas Sheridan (born 7 March 1964) is a Scottish politician and convicted perjurer. He served as convenor of Solidarity from 2019 to 2021. He previously served as convenor of the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) from 1998 to 2004 and as co-convenor of Solidarity from 2006 to 2016.
Kenneth Wright MacAskill (born 28 April 1958) is a Scottish politician who served as Cabinet Secretary for Justice from 2007 to 2014 and was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) from 1999 to 2016. He later served as Member of Parliament (MP) for East Lothian from 2019 to 2024. A former member o...
Situation in which financial assets suddenly lose a large part of their nominal value
A financial crisis is any of a broad variety of situations in which some financial assets suddenly lose a large part of their nominal value. A broader reduction of economic activity affecting the whole economy is known as an economic crisis. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many financial crise...
Scotland has elections to several bodies: the Scottish Parliament, the United Kingdom Parliament, local councils and community councils. Before the United Kingdom left the European Union, Scotland elected members to the European Parliament.
The Alba Party (Scottish Gaelic: Pàrtaidh Alba; Alba being the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland) is a Scottish nationalist and pro-independence political party in Scotland. Founded in February 2021, it was led by former first minister of Scotland and SNP leader Alex Salmond until his death in 2024....
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Senior Alba members offer to help party contest Scottish election 2 hours ago Share Save Paul O'Hare BBC Scotland Share Save Four senior Alba Party members have offered to take over the pro-independence party to ensure it can contest the Scottish Parliament election. The move comes after leader Kenny MacAskill revealed that the party was unlikely to field candidates in May due to its "perilous financial position". On Sunday a joint statement by Tommy Sheridan, Angus MacNeil, Christina Hendry and Suzanne Blackley said the current leadership "feel unable to continue". But MacAskill told BBC Scotland News he remained the party's leader and any move to change its Holyrood election plans would have to be financially viable. The former SNP MP and MSP said Alba was currently "struggling to survive" and had to prioritise clearing its debts. MacAskill added: "At the present moment we don't have the money to meet the deposits required. We don't have the money for any campaigning. "What we are requiring to do is to meet the bills that we have." He also said a change of leadership would require a "democratic mandate". And MacAskill warned any plan to contest the election would have to include safeguards against incurring more debt. He added: "As it is, we believe we can get out of this to meet all our obligations but fighting an election is certainly something that seems beyond us." On Saturday, in an email seen by BBC Scotland News, MacAskill said the party faced an "immediate crisis" and it was unlikely it would be able to register for the Scottish Parliament election. But on Sunday four elected members convened a meeting to explore the possibility of fielding candidates for the 7 May poll. In a joint statement afterwards they said the party's current leadership had "left the door open for a transition team to take the party forward". It continued: "There have been extraordinary efforts to date to ensure the survival of the party, and the current leadership deserve enormous c...
