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Alba Party to hold independence conference next week

The event will take place on December 10 in Perth.

Craig Paton
Sunday 27 November 2022 13:05 GMT
The Supreme Court said this week the Scottish Parliament cannot legislate for a referendum (Jane Barlow/PA)
The Supreme Court said this week the Scottish Parliament cannot legislate for a referendum (Jane Barlow/PA) (PA Wire)

The party led by former first minister Alex Salmond will host a special conference next month to plot the ā€œway forwardā€ for the independence cause.

Alba said on Sunday they will convene a special national assembly in Perth on December 10, which will be open to any member of the public and will be addressed by Mr Salmond.

The conference comes as the Supreme Court ruled the Scottish Parliament could not legislate for an independence referendum this week, prompting Nicola Sturgeon to announce she would press on with plans to treat the next national election as a de facto referendum.

Ms Sturgeon announced in a press conference in the hours after the ruling the SNP would convene a party conference in the early part of next year to discuss the details of the plans.

Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, the chairwoman for the Alba Party, said ā€œgoing cap in handā€ to the Supreme Court ā€œwas never a sensible tacticā€.

ā€œIt is now imperative that Scotland’s future be placed back in Scotland’s hands. Alba Party have a plan to ensure that this happens,ā€ she added.

ā€œHowever, we know that the independence movement is bigger than any one political party, that is why we are calling on the entire independence movement to attend our event, listen to our vision for the way forward and contribute their own ideas.

ā€œScotland right now needs a combination of popular action on the streets and a clear plan to take the country forward if we are to bend Westminster to our democratic will.ā€

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