A former SNP MP has announced that he has joined Alba. Angus MacNeil, who represented the Western Isles between 2005 and July’s general election, said he could stand at the Holyrood election.
MacNeil was expelled from the SNP last year when he tried to temporarily resign the whip after being suspended by the party for a week. He was suspended after he missed key votes to go on a paid for trip to Qatar.
MacNeil had been an ally of former SNP and Alba leader Alex Salmond and was beaten by Labour’s Torcuil Crichton in July.
MacNeil said: “There are a lot of good people in the SNP, but they can’t achieve anything on independence when the clueless and disinterested hierarchy has thwarted debate for years and I certainly know about that. Even now independence is not in the motions at their upcoming National Council meeting.
“It is six years since the SNP hierarchy proclaimed it didn’t need a Plan B and then when the Plan A ran out they hadn’t a clue what to do.”
Commenting on the next Scottish Parliament elections he added: “I might put myself forward if there were indications that people wanted me to do that. If it helps to kick start independence I would do.”
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