Alex Salmond says Nicola Sturgeon will 'work' with Alba Party as independence is 'bigger than personalities'

Alex Salmond has insisted Nicola Sturgeon will 'work' with his Alba Party as independence is “bigger than personalities”.

The former First Minister today suggested creating a bigger majority for independence was more important to the SNP leader, but insisted she would have been “upset” over the creation of his new party.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this morning, Mr Salmond claimed the pair could work together to deliver independence.

He said: “I think that actually after, admittedly, after a week of being quite upset, I think that it was probably indicated by Nicola Sturgeon in her ITV interview yesterday, where she did concede that you have to work with people in the Scottish parliament.

Former first minister Alex Salmond. Picture: Andy Buchanan/AFP via Getty Images

“Frankly, the cause of independence is much, much bigger than personalities.

"It’s a noble cause, it’s a huge cause for Scotland, and everybody now has to put aside differences and work in that national difference.”

It follows an interview Wednesday night where Ms Sturgeon declined to rule out working with Alba to deliver indyref2.

She said: “It’s not for me to say what MSPs elected from other parties vote for in a Scottish parliament.”

Also challenged today on how the two parties could work together, Mr Salmond insisted: “You won’t find a word of negativity of coming off the lips of any Alba Party candidate.”

Reminded that one of his candidates Dr Jim Walker called Sturgeon a “cow” on Twitter this week, Mr Salmond said: “And [he] has apologised for it.

"If I may say, it was a Twitter debate before he became a candidate.”

Asked if he had reflected on his behaviour towards women, the Alba Party leader said: “The case we forward at a trial, which is now a year ago, was that the claims against me were part fabrication, part exaggeration.

“The most significant is not what I said or what I reflected on, the most significant thing is the verdict of the jury.

"My behaviour has been tested as probably no behaviour has been tested before, in a trial of my peers and most fair-minded people think that’s fair enough.”

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