Alex Salmond has warned Humza Yousaf that “continuity won’t cut it” as he told the new SNP leader that the “constitutional issue cannot be kicked into the long grass yet again”.
Salmond is now leader of the Alba Party and served as First Minister of Scotland between 2007 and 2014.
He congratulated Yousaf on his victory in the race to succeed Nicola Sturgeon but warned him given the tight vote he needed to listen to what the other candidates said during the campaign.
Yousaf was elected as SNP leader on Monday with 52 per cent of the vote after the second round.
He had 48 per cent after the first round, with rival Kate Forbes on 40 per cent and Ash Regan on 11 per cent.
Salmond said: “Throughout the leadership campaign his record in government was a source of attack, but it is in the best interests of all the people of Scotland that the first minister of Scotland can competently lead a government to address the key challenges we face as a nation, namely the cost-of-living crisis and ensuring that our public services are fit for purpose.
“I thought both Ash Regan and Kate Forbes fought brave campaigns against the full force of the SNP establishment, and given that together they received over half the votes, the new leader would do well to listen to what they had to say in the campaign.”
He continued: “As the new first minister focuses on rebuilding the trust of the people of Scotland by improving the delivery of our public services, the constitutional issue cannot be kicked into the long grass yet again.
“The people of Scotland have voted in election after election not for who the first minister should be, but for Scotland to have a choice on its future.
“Humza Yousaf must back the calls of other independence-supporting parties and organisations, and convene an independence convention. It is now his responsibility to reunite the movement.
“Continuity won’t cut it. It’s time to hold Westminster’s feet to the fire.”
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