CONVICTED perjurer Tommy Sheridan has announced he has joined Alex Salmond’s new Alba Party.
The former Glasgow MSP, who had been hoping to make a political comeback through the list-only Action for Independence (AFI) party, said both he and his wife had signed up.
The AFI abandoned its Holyrood campaign when Mr Salmond launched Alba on Friday.
Mr Sheridan, who was last an MSP in 2007, currently works for the Kremlin-fund Sputnik news website, while Mr Salmond works for the Kremlin-funded RT TV channel.
In a tweet posted earlier today, Mr Sheridan said he would be supporting the SNP with his constituency vote and Alba with his list vote.
He said: “Both my wife Gail & I have joined the new progressive pro-independence party Alba.
“We look forward to working alongside others in the promotion of the positive & urgent case for Scottish independence.
“We must deliver the Indy Supermajority in 5 weeks time so it's SNP 1 / Alba 2.”
Both my wife Gail & I have joined the new progressive pro-independence party Alba. We look forward to working alongside others in the promotion of the positive & urgent case for Scottish independence. We must deliver the Indy Supermajority in 5 weeks time so it's
— Tommy Sheridan (@citizentommy) March 28, 2021
SNP 1 / Alba 2 pic.twitter.com/sHvF7xLcIl
Alba has yet to announce any candidates for its Glasgow regional list, where Mr Sheridan’s former Scottish Socialist Party enjoyed its greatest support.
However if he were a candidate, he would bring a lot of baggage with him, and inevitably invite comparisons with Mr Salmond.
A charismatic orator, Mr Sheridan took the Scottish Socialist Party to its greatest success in 2003, when it returned six MSPs.
However a sex scandal and two court cases led to his downfall and the SSP splitting.
Mr Sheridan, 55, was sentenced to three years in prison in 2011 for committing perjury in the £200,000 defamation action he won against the News of the World newspaper in 2006.
The now-defunct tabloid had claimed he visited a swinger’s club while a Glasgow MSP.
The scandal led to Mr Sheridan quitting as leader of the SSP and forming the rival Solidarity.
Neither has had an MSP since.
READ MORE: Tom Gordon - Tommy Sheridan offers an unhappy lesson for the SNP
In July, Mr Sheridan urged Mr Salmond to stand in the Holyrood election, saying the former First Minister would “sweep up the votes” if he ran.
He said: “If Alex does that, then the rest of us can forget it, because he’ll sweep up the votes, quite rightly given his reputation for many many years.
“But do you know what? I’m calling on Alex to do it. I would much rather see him do that than us [the AFI] have the ability to stand.
“I don’t think us standing is a big deal for the independence movement. But I would much rather Alex was prepared to do it because he will be more successful at it.”
The Commons Intelligence and Security Committee last summer said both Sputnik and RT were guilty of “serious distortions” in their coverage.
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