Fergus Ewing has revealed that despite his differences with the SNP on some policy matters he is not defecting to Alba.

Mr Ewing issued a statement to The Herald amid social media rumours about who could be next to move to Alex Salmond's party.

He was suspended last month by the SNP group at Holyrood for a week for voting against the government minister Lorna Slater in a vote of no confidence in June over her handling of the now stalled deposit return scheme.

He has been an outspoken critic of the Bute House Agreement which saw the Scottish Greens enter government and has blamed the smaller party for several controversial policies pursued by the SNP in power.

In his statement today, he launched a new attack on Ms Slater after she suggested in an interview yesterday she would be open to a deal to prop up a Labour government and that Labour's opposition to independence would not be a 'red line' for the Scottish Greens.

READ MORE: Ash Regan: The SNP leadership candidate who defected to Alba

The former rural affairs secretary sits an an independent MSP but remains a member of the SNP and is appealing against his week-long suspension.

There has been speculation that the MSP for Inverness and Nairn could be one of the figures to switch to Alex Salmond's party following Ash Regan's defection to it on Saturday.

Rumours over who may move to Alba were heightened when Neale Hanvey, the Alba MP, said in an interview on the BBC this morning that Ms Regan's exit from the SNP to his party would be followed by others.

READ MORE: SNP MSPs vote to suspend Fergus Ewing from Holyrood group

But in a statement given to The Herald this morning, Mr Ewing dismisssed such a move. 

"I have been in the SNP for 50 years and it has been a large part of  my life.   For the first 45 years the party was a broad church and my view is this is essential for us to succeed.  

"We need to appeal to people on the left but also right and centre as a National party.    We have no longer been doing that, particularly over the past two years," he said.

"I am  presently appealing against my suspension and my lawyer has submitted my appeal."

READ MORE: Revealed: The nine SNP MSPs who voted not to suspend Fergus Ewing

He went on to say he was working to support the SNP both in terms of addressing membership figures, which have fallen the past year, and in term of policy direction.

"I am focusing on continuing working within  the SNP to try to influence the party, and see us regain lost membership, and support," he said.

"To do that we must regain the trust of the people and , in the words of our old slogan 'Put Scotland First.'   

"That means putting our people first - not punishing them with daft policies ill thought out and poorly delivered, like DRS [Deposit Return Scheme] HPMA, Highly Protected Marine Areas] GRR [Gender Reform Recognition]. Short Term Let Registration,  and compulsory ripping out of heating systems to be replaced by ones that are unsuitable. 

"The common element here is that most of these damaging punitive policies stem from the Green Party - whose co-leader Lorna Slater at the weekend has just announced she would support Labour  in Holyrood if she keeps her ministerial position - and would ditch independence  to do so.  

"Ending the Green Deal and the Bute  house agreement is a necessary first major step on the road to SNP recovery.   I am working towards that end.   The Slater revelation over the weekend , that  keeping her ministerial post is more important than independence , is in stark contrast to the courage and principled stance taken by Ash Regan MSP , who it should be remembered, gave up her ministerial office to object and campaign against   the Gender Recognition Reform bill."  

Alba's leader at Westminster Mr Hanvey was asked in a BBC Scotland interview this morning if that other elected representatives could defect.

He replied: “Well, I would expect that there will be some news on that front in the coming hours, if not hours in the next few days.”

Asked if that meant MPs, MSPs, or councillors, Mr Hanvey added: “Well, you know, we'll just have to wait and see.”

On social media this morning Mr Ewing made clear his disappointment at comments made by Humza Yousaf on Ms Regan following her defection to Alba when he said the move was 'no great loss' for the SNP.

"Sad to see such sour and ill founded remarks from the FM regards Ash Regan. who displayed courage on her views  on independence and resigned ministerial office in her opposition to Gender  Reform," Mr Ewing wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

"At the same time our FM still supports as his Government  Minister the Green Co-Leader who said she would readily ditch independence for continued Ministerial office  - under Labour!"

The Scottish Greens declined to comment on Mr Ewing's remarks on Ms Slater.