91Èȱ¬

Alex Salmond has criticised the Scottish government's Supreme Court action over a second independence vote.

The leader of the Alba party said asking the court to rule on the legality of Holyrood organising its own vote was a mistaken strategy.

In a conference speech, he said even if the Scottish case prevailed, such a referendum would be no more than a "glorified opinion poll".

The Scottish government said the aim was to achieve legal clarity.

Nicola Sturgeon has said her preference is to hold a vote with the agreement of Westminster.

This happened when Mr Salmond was first minister in 2014 - but recent Conservative leaders have said now is not the time for another referendum.

In an attempt to break the deadlock Scotland's lord advocate, Dorothy Bain KC, has asked the Supreme Court to rule on whether Holyrood has the power to organise such a vote without Westminster's consent.

While constitutional matters are reserved to Westminster, Ms Bain argued that it would be "advisory" and therefore have no legal effect on the Union.

Mr Salmond told Alba's conference: "If against all expectations the Scottish case was to prevail what exactly would have been won - the right to conduct a poll which the lord advocate's own submissions rested on the argument that it would have no practical effect.

"It would be a glorified opinion poll not an exercise in Scottish sovereignty."

He added that if the ruling goes against the Scottish government it would close off the referendum route through the Scottish Parliament without Westminster's prior agreement.

Mr Salmond said a better approach was to argue Scotland's right to self determination, which was put forward by the SNP but only as a written submission to the Supreme Court.

He said Alba had commissioned its own legal opinion from a leading KC on "the real legal basis of Scotland's right to self determination".

Mr Salmond said this was "the case we can have ready to take to whatever court when it is required - domestic and international, and the case we shall take to the people".

A Scottish government spokesperson said: "There is a substantial majority in the Scottish Parliament in favour of an independence referendum and therefore a clear democratic mandate.

"However, as the first minister has set out, there remains debate over whether the Scottish Parliament has the powers to legislate to hold a referendum.

"Referring this question to the Supreme Court is intended to achieve legal clarity on this point."

If the Supreme Court ruling goes against the Scottish government, Nicola Sturgeon has said she would fight the next general election solely on the issue, making it a de facto independence vote.