ALEX Salmond’s Alba Party congratulated Humza Yousaf on his win in the SNP leadership contest but said “continuity won’t cut it.”
The former first minister previously threw his support behind Kate Forbes and Ash Regan during the leadership contest.
He congratulated them for their “brave campaigns” and said that Yousaf must now set out a “credible plan to deliver independence”.
“The hard work starts now,” Salmond added in a statement as he also urged Yousaf to ditch “controversial” Scottish Government policies and “focus on delivering well again”.
Salmond added: “Humza has been elected on a minority of the vote to leadership of one part of the National Movement. He has a big job on to reunite his party and the cause.”
“I offer my congratulations to Humza. Throughout the leadership campaign his record in Government was a source of attack, but it is in the best interests of all the people of Scotland that the first minister of Scotland can competently lead a Government to address the key challenges we face as a nation, namely the cost of living crisis and ensuring that our public services are fit for purpose.
“I thought both Ash Regan and Kate Forbes fought brave campaigns against the full force of the SNP establishment, and given that together they received over half the votes, the new leader would do well to listen to what they had to say in the campaign.
“Humza pledged if elected, to deliver many ALBA Party policies, such as: increasing the Scottish Child Payment - which we have highlighted must be increased to £40 per week in order that Scotland addresses adequately the scourge of child poverty.
“He has committed to a policy which takes the Scottish Government towards funding our call to provide free sports facilities for all young people. He has backed our call for free school meals for all.
“He has also adopted ALBA’s position that all offshore wind projects must have a public stake in them. As first minister, it is now his job to deliver these policies and we will support him in doing so.
“However, in the weeks and months to come, it will be overwhelmingly obvious to Scots across our energy rich land, who are being hit with huge household bills, that Scotland needs the power of independence to unleash the energy of our land for the betterment of our people.
“As the new first minister focuses on rebuilding the trust of the people of Scotland by improving the delivery of our public services, the constitutional issue cannot be kicked into the long grass yet again.
“The people of Scotland have voted in election after election not for who the first minister should be, but for Scotland to have a choice on its future.”
Salmond’s ALBA Party have also been calling for the new first minister to back an independence convention bringing together all pro-Yes parties to make plans to secure Scotland’s exit from the Union.
In his statement, Salmond repeated this call. He said: “Humza Yousaf must back the calls of other independence supporting parties and organisations and convene an Independence Convention.
“It is now his responsibility to re-unite the movement. Continuity won’t cut it. It’s time to hold Westminster’s feet to the fire.”
