SNP leadership hopeful Humza Yousaf has accused Alex Salmond of "interfering" in the contest to succeed Nicola Sturgeon.
The Health Secretary warned yesterday it was "unhealthy" for people in other parties to get involved - and called on rivals in the race to declare any support from figures in the former First Minister’s Alba party.
Yousaf is locked in a bitter three-way battle with Kate Forbes and Ash Regan for the prize of becoming the next First Minister.
His backers are concerned about the role played by people in Alba, a pro-independence rival set up by Salmond in the wake of his feud with Sturgeon.
Kirk Torrance, a former Alba candidate who is a key Salmond ally, is an adviser to the Regan campaign.
Speaking to the Record, Yousaf said: “I think it’s really important that all the campaigns are upfront about whether or not they’ve had support or help from rival political parties. I’ve not. I’ll be upfront and I’ll say that.
“It’s for Ash and Kate to be transparent about their campaigns. I think it’s really important because these questions have been asked, and we know, for example, that people who were previously Alba candidates are now helping with other campaigns.”
He said of Salmond: “He has, of course, decided to comment and even interfere in this election campaign, and when he has I think it’s an important reminder to those in the SNP that he is a leader of a rival political party that spends most of its time, as far as I can see, talking down and attacking the SNP.”
He added: “I think it’s unhealthy when anybody who’s from another political party gets involved in the election contest of the SNP. We shouldn’t be entertaining, frankly, the interjections and interventions of a rival political party that as I say, spends most of its time attacking the SNP.”
Salmond became involved in the campaign when questions were asked on why Yousaf missed the final vote on gay marriage in 2014. The Health Secretary had been accused of deliberately skipping the vote after pressure by religious groups - a charge he denied.
Salmond, who was First Minister at the time of the vote, piped up on TV to say: “My memory is that I was contacted 10 days or so before the vote, when the vote was known, and told that Humza was arranging a ministerial appointment.” Asked if Yousaf skipped the vote due to “religious pressure”, Salmond stated: “That’s my recollection.”
A senior Humza backer said: “SNP voters shouldn’t be kept in the dark about whether or not the leader of a rival political party is exerting influence in the SNP leadership election. All campaigns should be transparent and provide details of the advice and support they have received from Alex Salmond during this leadership campaign.”
Salmond’s comments on equal marriage led to Ian Blackford, the SNP’s former Westminster leader, to say: “I think what you see is Alex Salmond, as a former member of the SNP, trying to stir the pot to some extent, isn’t it?"
In an LBC leadership debate this week, Yousaf was asked for three words to describe Salmond. “Bite my tongue,” he said.
Alba General Secretary Chris McEleny said: “Humza Yousaf is suffering from both a thin skin and a brass neck. A thin skin because Alex Salmond has been as gentle as possible when asked about him in television and radios interviews.
“A brass neck because it is Humza Yousaf who has been shamelessly copying Alba policies such as free access to sports facilities and securing a public stake as of right in every offshore wind field. It is a bit rich for Humza to attack his fellow SNP candidates for being too close to Alba while he himself is busy lifting Alba policy ideas.
“Alba’s major problem with Humza is his refusal to endorse an Independence Convention. The other two candidates are willing to reunite the independence movement but only Humza is holding out for continuity SNP.”
A spokesman for the Forbes campaign said: "No one from Alba (or any other opposition party) is involved in Kate's campaign."
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