It’s been a rollercoaster journey for Neale Hanvey since he was first elected to Westminster in Fife.
He won his seat as an independent after the SNP suspended him for sharing offensive social media posts, later rejoined the party, and then defected to the Alba Party.
The Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy candidate has also been at the centre of the controversial transgender rights debate in Scotland.
Alex Salmond’s Alba Party has struggled since being founded in 2021 and failed to get a single MSP elected at the upcoming Westminster election.
Bullish
But Mr Hanvey is bullish about his hopes of a good showing and is absolutely certain he will be able to retain his deposit by securing at least 5% of the vote.
“Our numbers are looking like we’ll hold onto our deposits across the country,” he told The Courier.
But he reckons his work as a local MP since 2019 will help stand him in good stead when voters go to the ballot box.
He tells us: “Certainly the picture in Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy is very different to the national picture, because I am the former MP for the area.
“I think by any metric I’ve done a pretty strong job both in the constituency and in the chamber in parliament.”
“Whether that translates into a victory or not, that’s beyond my control,” he adds, admitting many voters will habitually opt for the SNP or Labour.
The seat – in the patch once held by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown – is expected to swing back to Labour on July 4.
Given support for the SNP has been pegged back while support for independence remains steady, why has the Alba Party been unable to capitalise?
Mr Hanvey largely blames the media.
“You just have to look at the election coverage,” he says. “We’ve been sidelined from every debate.”
He added: “The media are doing everything they possibly can to avoid speaking about us.
“I’m not bleating and saying it’s really unfair. That’s just stating a fact. We don’t get a fair crack of the whip.”
Alex Salmond eyes 2026 election
Alba leader Mr Salmond is expected to focus much of his attention on the 2026 Scottish election – and has set his party a target of winning 20 seats.
That may be unrealistic given current support, but Mr Hanvey is confident Alba can pick up some seats and will be running for Holyrood.
He says: “This campaign is just one component of building the party’s presence in Scottish politics.”
Mr Hanvey has become an outspoken critic of his former party since joining Alba, particularly on transgender rights.
He has been among a vocal group of critics, including Harry Potter author JK Rowling, opposing the Scottish Government’s botched gender law reforms,
Mr Hanvey says he had no option but to leave the SNP and does not regret it, even if the decision ends up costing him re-election.
He tells us: “I went into that whole Alba project with my eyes wide open.
“If I don’t win my seat because I told the truth, then I’m absolutely happy with that.”
‘Back in 2019 Nicola Sturgeon came for me, and look where she is now.’
Mr Hanvey claims he was “constantly bullied” by the SNP leadership due to his position on transgender reforms and says the party lacked focus on independence.
He says: “That is a campaign that was waged by the SNP leadership against me.
“Back in 2019 Nicola Sturgeon came for me, and look where she is now.”
SNP Westminster insiders dispute this version of events.
One member of the MP group said: “All he ever used to do was turn up and talk about his obsession with trans people.
“The party bent over backwards to give him a fresh start. He threw it back at our faces, and his whole agenda has been anti-SNP.”
Will Hanvey make it over the line?
Perhaps worryingly for Mr Hanvey, one polling expert doesn’t rate the Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy’s chances of keeping his deposit.
Allan Faulds, from Ballot Box Scotland, says: “I would be quite surprised if Neale Hanvey held his deposit.
“MPs who are locally well-known can sometimes stand for independents or other parties and hold their deposit, but I’m not convinced Neale Hanvey is one of those MPs.”
On that front, The Courier asked Mr Hanvey to predict the likelihood of him becoming the first ever Alba candidate to win a seat at any level.
“I’m not going to predict that, but all I’ll say is at the last election in 2019, the Labour Party and the SNP adherents told me I had absolutely no chance of winning, and I won,” he tells us.
And in a word of warning to his former party, he adds: “I know for a fact there are SNP members and activists who will not vote for anyone but me.”
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