Alex Salmond’s neice has described the Alba party’s chaotic leadership battle as a “storm in a teacup” and insisted Kenny MacAskill should be its next leader.
Christina Hendry said Alba is still intent on taking forward her uncle’s vision for Scotland as an independent country and claimed it was in a “positive place”.
Her comments come amid a turbulent contest for the top job between former justice secretary Kenny MacAskill and the party’s only elected parliamentarian Ash Regan.
MacAskill, who has been backed by Hendry, her mum Gail as well as Salmond’s widow Moira, has been accused of bullying and harassment while General Secretary Chris McEleny has been suspended.
Hendry said: “In terms of a leadership election, even compared to other parties’ recent leadership elections, this is a storm in a teacup.
“A leadership contest can be a positive thing, it can really highlight the talent we have in the party and on a whole it’s in a really
positive place.
“In a contest like this, especially one that has been unexpected and the reason it’s come about… there’s always going to be challenges there.”
Hendry, who hopes to become an Alba MSP in the 2026 elections, wouldn’t comment on the internal problems as “there will be a process that’s under way” but said she believed her uncle would want MacAskill to replace him.
She said: “The best person to say, in this situation, what uncle Alex would have wanted is his widow [Moira] and she has endorsed Kenny. I think Kenny has stepped up to the plate and guided the party through a really challenging time.
“You can look to his past record as justice secretary and all the work he has done for Scottish independence. His work ethic is second to none.
“He’s got a positive vision for taking the party forward. You’ve seen the recent polls which shows us winning seats at the next
election.
“That’s largely off the back of the work Alex did but also with Kenny as his deputy. We need to keep presenting a positive vision with independence at the forefront and I think Kenny will be the one to do that”
Asked how her uncle would have felt seeing the party he founded facing public turmoil, Hendry said: “I can’t speak for him, and we had never spoken about this situation, obviously.
“I know my uncle was 100 per cent committed to independence. The way he saw it coming to fruition was through the 2026 election and Alba having a breakthrough.
“That’s what he always pushed for and what we will continue to do.”
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