Alex Salmond comeback bid ends as Alba fails to secure regional seat in North East Scotland

Alex Salmond will not return to the Scottish Parliament after he failed in his bid to pick up a seat on the regional list allocated by proportional represenation.

The former first minster had hoped to become anMSP again and return to frontline politics with his Alba Party after a bruising public fight with Nicola Sturgeon.

But his party failed to pick up a seat in the region after winning just 8,269 votes.

The Scottish Conservatives won four seats on the North East list, Scottish Labour two and the Scottish Greens one.

Earlier on Saturday, Mr Salmond has said the First Minister "lost her nerve" on Scottish independence in 2017 and took aim at other sneior SNP figures.

"Nicola will prevaricate, Nicola lost her nerve on independence back in 2017 and has never recovered it," Mr Salmond said.

"It’s as simple as that."

He also accused the SNP of "grand old Duchess of York behaviour", saying they were "going up and down this hill numerous times".

Alba also has "electoral credibility", Mr Salmond said, due to the party having two MPs and 20 councillors.

"That will make Alba a force to be reckoned with," he said.

The former first minister went on to attack senior members of the party he once led, saying: "Many of the SNP leadership are among the most graceless people I have ever come across.

"John Nicolson, he takes the biscuit for lack of grace. "He’s the ultimate poser, he’s done nothing for the independence movement of any shape or form in his puff."

He went on to accuse Mr Nicolson, the MP for Ochil and South Perthshire, of "piggy-backing on the work of others".

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