Alex Salmond has said he speaks to SNP MPs and MSPs on a near daily basis as his Alba party continues to search for defectors.

Despite standing down as first minister in 2014, leaving Holyrood in 2016 and losing his Westminster seat in 2017, he said “hardly a day goes by” without some contact.

Mr Salmond, who launched his pro-independence party in 2021, was speaking as Alba MSP Ash Regan launched a new plan to “break the logjam” on independence.

She today began a consultation on a member’s Bill to have a referendum asking Scots whether Holyrood should have the power to legislate on and negotiate independence.

Ms Regan said she hoped to hold the vote on September 19 next year, a decade after the 2014 referendum, and urged the SNP and Greens to support her proposal.

READ MORE: Alba MSP proposes referendum on Holyrood having independence powers

Ms Regan, a former SNP minister, was the third SNP parliamentarian to defect to Alba, following MPs Kenny MacAskill and Neale Hanvey in 2021.

Asked if he was having conversations with other possible defectors and who he’d like to come over to Alba, Mr Salmond declined to name names, as that would “allocate black spots all over the place”.

However he went on: “I speak to SNP parliamentarians. I think there's hardly a day goes by that I don't speak to SNP parliamentarians.

“As you would expect, we have many areas of common interest of parties in the National Movement have. We have many areas of constituency and economic interests as well. 

“So I do speak to SNP parliamentarians on a regular basis. I'm not going to allocate any of them the black spot despite your encouragement.”

Mr Salmond, who last week launched a £3m legal action against the Scottish Government for botching a sexual misconduct probe into him, also joked about potentially suing the SNP.

Asked how Ms Regan’s Bill could get the support of the SNP at Holyrood when he was suing the Government, he said: “I’m not suing the SNP. Not yet, anyway. 

“I’m suing the Scottish Government. If I remember correctly, I don't think there was a single member of the current administration named on the summons, for example.”

Asked later about his relations with his estranged successor Nicola Sturgeon, who recently said she did not foresee the two colleagues reconciling, he said: “Never say never”. 

He said: “I was asked that question at the Edinburgh Festival [Fringe], Did I ever see a reconciliation with Nicola Sturgeon? And I think I said you never say never. 

“That would still be my attitude. I don't think it was Nicola’s attitude when she spoke a wee bit later, but nonetheless, the times change, things change, you always hope for the best.”

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He confirmed that he intended to stand for Alba at the 2026 Holyrood election.

He stood at the 2021 Holyrood election in the North East region.

Alba has yet to have any politician directly elected, at council, Holyrood or Westminster level, relying entirely on defections from the SNP for representation. 

The Holyrood list system offers the party its best chance of a win, as MSPs can be elected on just 5% of the regional vote.