Ash Regan announces bid to succeed Alex Salmond as Alba leader

Regan, the party's sole representative at Holyrood, said she expects a leadership contest to take place within 'the next few weeks'.

Calum Loudon

Posted in

Alba MSP Ash Regan has announced her bid to succeed Alex Salmond as party leader following his death.

The former SNP minister is the party’s sole representative at Holyrood.

Former leader of the SNP and Alba Party founder Alex Salmond died aged 69 while attending an event in North Macedonia in October.

Regan told the Scotsman that she expected a leadership contest to take place within “the next few weeks”.

She said: “This is a really exciting time for Alba because there was some polling a couple of weeks ago showing us making an electoral breakthrough and winning three seats.

“I believe, with the right leadership, this can be exceeded and we can win even more seats and become the kingmakers of the next government.

“This is a huge opportunity for Alba.”

Former first minister candidate Regan resigned from the SNP to join the Alba Party in October 2023.

Regan, who secured just over 11% of votes when she stood in the race to succeed Nicola Sturgeon, said she was defecting from the SNP because it had “lost its focus”.

But she said her experience of the leadership contest stood her “in good stead”.

Following Salmond’s death, Alba deputy leader and former Holyrood justice secretary Kenny MacAskill took on the leadership on an acting basis.

He is expected to remain in the temporary role until the party chooses new office bearers at a rearranged party conference in March.