ALEX Salmond’s Alba party has said its two MPs intend to “unleash tactics” at Westminster in a bid to give Holyrood the power to hold a second independence referendum.

It said Kenny MacAskill and Neale Hanvey hope to amend the 1998 Scotland Act underpinning devolution to put Holyrood’s final say on the issue beyond doubt.

The move is highly unlikely to succeed, but would pile pressure on SNP MPs to follow suit and keep independence in the spotlight.

Alba said it would set out more details in the coming weeks, but it is understood its tactics would include adjournment debates and 10-minute rule bills.

Only four 10-minute rules bills have became law since 2010.

If the Scotland Act were opened up, it would also allow Unionist MPs to make it clear in law that Holyrood could not hold Indyref2 without Westminster approval.

Schedule 5 of the Act says the Union is an issue reserved to Westminster, and the 2014 referendum came about only after Westminster temporarily transferred the power to hold a referendum on the Union to Holyrood.

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However some legal academics argue Holyrood could ask Scots about independence in an unauthorised referendum, to show where the country stood, and potentially put pressure on London to open negotiations.

The issue has never been tested in court, although Nicola Sturgeon has said that if Boris Johnson blocks Indyref2 again, she will put a referendum bill through Holyrood unilaterally and dare him to challenge its validity at the UK Supreme Court.

Alba general secretary Chris McEleny said the party wanted to keep up pressure on the Prime Minister to “force Westminster’s hand”.

Its MPs would also push for the devolution of powers over immigration, drugs policy, tax and borrowing, including the power to raise money through issuing bonds. 

He said: “There is a democratically undeniable mandate for Scottish independence. 

“No British Prime Minister should be allowed to stand in the way of the people of Scotland determining their own future. 

“Yet, despite successive mandates delivered for an independence referendum, Boris Johnson has been allowed to deny the people of Scotland that choice. 

“In normal times a Government would accept the outcome of an election, these are quite clearly exceptional times and exceptional times require radical action.” 

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The Inverclyde councillor on: “Scotland must be entitled to determine its own future. 

“If the Westminster Government continues to stand in opposition then Alba will unleash tactics at Westminster to force the UK Governments hands. 

“We will demand the immediate devolution of additional powers to the Scottish Parliament to ensure that key choices in Scotland’s immediate recovery from the pandemic are in the hands of the Scottish Parliament.” 

Mr Hanvey added: “ When I stood for election as an MP, my sights were never on a second term.

"As then, my focus now is on securing Scotland's withdrawal from the UK as soon as.

"So it was frustrating, to say the very least, that this ambition was shared by only a notable few others at Westminster.

"As far as I am concerned only by settling up can we begin to build a Scotland that no longer goes cap in hand for wholly inadequate £20 uplifts to poverty payments.”