FORMER diplomat Craig Murray has claimed he has been blocked from standing as an Alba Party candidate due to his contempt of court conviction related to comments he made during the trial of former first minister Alex Salmond.
Murray, the former UK ambassador to Uzbekistan, was given an eight-month jail sentence in May 2021 after a judge ruled that he had unlawfully published details about the identities of female witnesses in Alex Salmond’s criminal trial.
He had covered the former first minister’s trial from the public benches and wrote about it on his blog.
Murray also said he was rejected because he had stood for George Galloway's Workers Party of Britain in Blackburn at the General Election last year – where he came third with 7105 votes – but said he had stood "on Gaza, after full discussion and agreement with Alex Salmond".
In response to a social media post revealing Murray had failed vetting, the former diplomat urged members to appeal to their local authority campaign unit (LACU).
Murray wrote: "I was given two reasons I cannot stand for Alba. My prison sentence was one, my standing for the Workers' Party in Blackburn was the other.
"I only stood, on Gaza, after full discussion and agreement with Alex Salmond. I intend to fight this. Fellow Alba members please ask your LACU to challenge it."
Commenting, an Alba spokesperson rejected one of the claims.
They said: "We do not usually comment on internal party matters. However, in order to maintain the integrity of our vetting process, we wish to set out the following.
“Mr Murray was not excluded from attending the Alba Party vetting process due to a previous conviction, as he has claimed on social media.
“At the recent General Election, Mr Murray stood as a candidate for another political party — the Workers Party of Great Britain — less than a year ago. The Workers Party fielded candidates in Scotland against two Alba Party candidates: One in Alloa and Grangemouth, and another in Dundee Central.
“As a result, the independent vetting panel concluded that it would not be appropriate for Mr Murray to stand as a candidate for the Alba Party.
“Candidates are expected to demonstrate a clear and consistent record of campaigning for the Alba Party in recent electoral contests. Mr Murray has not been treated unfairly; these principles are applied equally and fairly across all those who submitted an application."
