ALEX Salmond has warned independence is "gradually slipping off the political agenda" just weeks after the Holyrood election.
The former first minister and leader of the Alba Party said "London has never been weaker and Scotland has never been stronger in political terms" but the chance to act on this may be missed.
He made the comments in an update to Alba members as he said the party's membership now sits at more than 5,500.
Alba failed to win any seats at the Holyrood election and secured just 1.7 per cent of the regional vote.
Mr Salmond said: "It is only two weeks since the Scottish election and yet the constitutional issue is already gradually slipping off the political agenda.
"Independence should be right up there, first and foremost, in terms of dealing with the pandemic in terms of recovery and economic recovery from it.
"We should be talking about the constitutional question in Scotland, we should be forcing the issue because London has never been weaker and Scotland has never been stronger in political terms.
"But if we allow it to slip off the political agenda to allow the Johnson Government to regain its political balance, then the chance may be missed, and may never come again.
"An absolute majority of the Scottish electorate, two weeks ago in the Scottish elections, voted for parties committed to Scottish independence, a mandate that is unarguable but one that has to be used because mandates that are not used can sometimes be lost."
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