Kenny MacAskill elected new Alba leader

Kenny MacAskill, a former SNP justice secretary, is the new leader of the Alba Party.

The former MP beat sitting MSP Ash Regan by 119 votes – securing 1,331 to Regan’s 1,212.

Only half of the party’s 5,000-strong membership cast a ballot.

MacAskill has been the party’s interim leader since the death of Alex Salmond last autumn.

He said: “This was an election brought about by the tragic passing of our founder Alex Salmond. He will never be forgotten but the duty that now falls to me and all Alba Party members is to deliver his dream of independence.”

The former first minister and SNP leader died after falling ill on a trip to North Macedonia last October.

The race to replace him has been fraught, during which time general secretary Chris McEleny was sacked and now has his membership under review.

The development came after MacAskill was accused of bullying and harassment.

McEleny had thrown his hat in the ring to become the party’s depute leader, but was beaten by Neale Hanvey.

The former MP secured 78 per cent of the vote to McEleny’s 22.

The pro-independence outfit was founded four years ago. It had hoped to capitalise on splits in the independence movement at the last Holyrood election, but failed to break through.

MacAskill and Hanvey, both sitting SNP MPs at the time, defected to Alba in 2021. Neither were returned to Westminster in the election last year.

Regan defected to the party from the SNP in 2023, less than four months after resigning from the Scottish Government over its gender reform plans.

It also has a handful of councillors who have likewise defected from the SNP.