Alba Party to be shut down amid 'dire' funding crisis and falling membership
Scottish police have been investigating alleged “irregularities” in the party’s finances since May 2025
The leader of the Scottish pro-independence Alba Party has announced the party is to be wound down and de-registered as a result of its "dire financial plight".
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Party leader Kenny MacAskill said crashing income and a sharp fall in membership had left the organisation financially unviable.
In a message to party members, MacAskill said the decision had been made "with considerable regret".
It comes after the party’s leadership met with the Electoral Commission and were advised that the party must either voluntarily de-register, or face mandatory de-registration.
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The Alba party was founded in February 2021 and led by former first minister of Scotland Alex Salmond up until his death in 2024.
The news comes after a handful of party members called for MacAskill to resign if he would not lead them into May's election.
After meeting with the national executive committee (NEC) on Saturday, MacAskill said: “I wish to place on record my grateful thanks to the membership for their efforts for our party and for our cause. It has been a privilege to work with them.
“We can be proud of what we sought to achieve and also the support which we gave to our founder in his time of need.
"The dream shall never die, parties as with individuals are mortal, but our cause is eternal.”
Former SNP MP Angus MacNeil, who joined the party after failing to be re-elected as an independent candidate in 2024, said it was a "sad and unnecessary end" to Alex Salmond's dream for the new party.
Upon launching the party, the ex-first minister said the aim was to build "a supermajority for independence" at Holyrood after the election in May 2021.
Within days two MPs, MacAskill and Neale Hanvey, defected from the SNP to join the new party.
However, Alba failed to win any seats and only polled 1.7% of the regional vote.
The death of Salmond in October 2024 triggered a leadership contest in which MacAskill defeated former SNP leadership contender Ash Regan.