Former MP Kenny MacAskill becomes new Alba Party Leader

The Scotsman

Alistair Grant attends the announcement of Alba Party new leader  Former MP Kenny MacAskill becomes the new leader of the Alba Party, following the death of Alex Salmond  Ash Regan MSP missed out on becoming the new party leader

Transcript

00:00Hello, I'm Alistair Grant, the political editor of The Scotsman, and I'm here at the

00:03Alaba Party's leadership announcement in Edinburgh, where Kenny MacAskill, the former

00:08SNP Justice Secretary, has just been announced as the new leader of the party, once led by

00:13Alex Salmond. It was quite a tight battle. He was running against Ash Regan, the Alaba

00:17Party's only MSP in Holyrood. Kenny MacAskill got 1,331 votes to Ash Regan's 1,212. He

00:25also had the Deputy Leadership Contest, which was won by Neil Hanvey, a former MP for the

00:32SNP who defected to Alex Salmond's Alaba Party. But to be honest, the event today has been

00:36somewhat overshadowed by comments made by Chris McElhenney on the stage. Chris was running

00:42for that deputy role as well, and he's now saying that he's taking legal action against

00:47the party. He's a former General Secretary of the Alaba Party, a close ally of Alex Salmond's,

00:53and he says he's been unfairly dismissed by the party, and he's now going to pursue an

00:57employment tribunal. So some quite extraordinary divisions have emerged during this leadership

01:02contest, and I think Kenny MacAskill will have a job to bring the party back together.

01:06Well, I have to say, I've fought elections for over 40 years, both internal and indeed

01:12wider democratic platforms at every level, from council through to European, never mind

01:18through Westminster and Hollywood. In terms of being rambunctious or whatever else, this

01:22doesn't come anywhere near it. This has actually been very well constructed. Those who have

01:26been at the hustings, either online or indeed in person, will be aware that they were conducted

01:32with dignity, with respect, and that's where we stand. The position regarding the former

01:36General Secretary is a matter that was a decision taken by the National Executive, of which

01:40I recuse myself, and any further actions that will be taken by others within the party will

01:45again be dealt with by the wider party and their elected representatives, and in which

01:50I will not play a part.

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