ALEX Salmond's Alba have welcomed an intervention by the new SNP Westminster group leader Stephen Flynn indicating he is prepared to work with the smaller party to advance independence.
Chris McEleny, Alba's general secretary, responded to the remarks by the Aberdeen South MP which he made in an interview with The Herald on Sunday at the weekend.
Mr McEleny said: “ The decision by the Supreme Court to deny the right of the Scottish Parliament to hold an independence referendum and the continuing refusal of the UK Government to transfer the power to hold a referendum present clear challenges to Scottish democracy and the sovereign will of the Scottish people.
"How the movement responds now is critical if we are to turn the failure of the Supreme Court tactic into a strategic victory for the independence cause."
READ MORE: Interview: SNP's Flynn hints at doubts over de facto vote
Alba, which is led by former First Minister and SNP leader Mr Salmond, has two MPs, Kenny MacAskill and Neale Hanvey, both of whom defected from the SNP. The party has no other elected representatives in Scotland.
Mr McEleny called on SNP MPs to sign a Commons motion tabled by Mr Hanvey ahead of St Andrew's Day which states Scotland has the right of self-determination and that any authority or government which seeks to deny that right would be "democratically" challenged.
"Our team of Alba MPs at Westminster have been willing to work with anyone that believes Scotland needs to regain independence as an immediate priority," added Mr McEleny.
"Stephen Flynn’s comments are welcome and and a good start to his pledge to work with the independence movement and Alba Party would be to have his SNP group members sign Neale Hanvey’s Early Day Motion that endorses the St Andrew’s Day Declaration that states our nation has the right of self-determination and that we will democratically challenge any authority or government which seeks to deny us that right.”
Asked about whether he would work with Alba, Mr Flynn told The Herald on Sunday: “[The SNP] are of course the mainstream movement for Scottish independence.
"My focus in the immediate term is working with colleagues within the Scottish National Party to further the case for independence.
“I personally have been quite happy to work with all parties and none in relation to the Scottish independence movement. Ultimately you need to judge people by their words and by their actions and that would be the determining factor for me moving forward.”
Mr Salmond left the SNP following sexual misconduct claims, which he denied, and which emerged against him four years ago.
He and Ms Sturgeon, once close allies, have not spoken since their friendship dramatically broke down over the Scottish Government probe into the misconduct claims.
He took Ms Sturgeon’s government to court over the investigation and was awarded £512,000 in costs after proving it had bungled a probe relating to his time in office.
Mr Salmond later claimed that Ms Sturgeon had misled Holyrood about the issue, a resignation matter which she was cleared of.
Mr Salmond was charged with multiple counts of sexual assault and cleared of all of them at a High Court trial in 2020.
Some in the SNP including the SNP MP for Perth and North Perthshire Pete Wishart, who resigned from the party's Westminster front bench last week after Mr Flynn was elected group leader, have been reluctant to work with Alba, though others favour more collaboration.
Liberal Democrat Scotland spokesperson Christine Jardine MP said: “The SNP is willing to stoop to a whole new set of lows to push their agenda for separation.
“Not only are they bulldozing ahead with their bad Braveheart in suits while the cost of living spirals and the NHS sinks to its knees, but they will also do that bulldozing with the help of a party Nicola Sturgeon had previously disowned.
“Stephen Flynn's willingness to cosy up to the Alba party is an embarrassing sign of division within the SNP.
"Alex Salmond took the Russian’s rubles and appeared on the Kremlin’s propaganda channel for years. I wonder what his party leader makes of that, never mind what the public will think.
“Such is the desperation of the nationalists. Even at a time of crisis for households and businesses up and down the country, the SNP are desperately fixated on taking a wrecking ball to the UK.”
Over the weekend Alba said the next Holyrood election should be used as a "vehicle" for the Scottish people to express their view on independence.
In contrast, Nicola Sturgeon has said she will treat the next general election as a "de facto referendum" on independence.
The SNP will hold a conference in the new year to define exactly what their proposals for a "de facto referendum" at the next general election are.
During his interview with The Herald on Sunday, Mr Flynn hinted at doubts over using the next general election as a "de facto independence" referendum.
He said MPs would be on the frontline in such a campaign and that a number of options on the way forward had been floated.
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