Alba Party Loses Deposits in Every Seat Contested at General Election

The Alba Party has unfortunately lost their deposit in each of the 19 constituencies they contested in the recent General Election. This outcome was highlighted by Scotland‘s Philip Sim, mentioning that the party collectively garnered 11,784 votes across these constituencies.

Both of Alba’s former MPs, Neale Hanvey and Kenny MacAskill, faced defeat in their respective seats. Hanvey placed seventh in Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy, securing 1132 votes – falling behind both the Scottish National Party and Reform UK.

Candidates are required to pay a deposit to stand in a UK parliamentary election, refunded only if they attain at least a 5% share of the votes. Hanvey’s best vote share was in Cowdenbeath, at 2.8%, where the victorious candidate was Labour‘s Melanie Ward.

On the other hand, Kenny MacAskill contested in Alloa and Grangemouth, failing to pass the 1000 votes mark. The specific area was a prime target for Alba, with a manifesto promise to strongly support the workforce at Grangemouth. Labour’s Brian Leishman emerged victorious in the seat, by defeating the SNP’s John Nicolson.

Reacting to these results, Alex Salmond called for a ‘realignment’ of Scottish politics and extended his congratulations to Keir Starmer for his significant win. Salmond particularly emphasized the need for a reshuffle in the political landscape given the election outcome.

Furthermore, Chris McEleny criticized Nicola Sturgeon for not utilizing the successive mandates for independence effectively, diverting focus to other policies. McEleny, who also contested in the election, stood in Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West, securing 723 votes. Labour’s Martin McCluskey won the constituency, marking another gain from the SNP.