ONE of Nicola Sturgeon’s closest former advisers has backed voting for Alex Salmond’s new Alba Party.

Noel Dolan was senior special adviser and policy guru while Sturgeon was deputy First Minister having joined her team in 2004 when the SNP were in opposition at Holyrood.

In an interview today the former aide said voting for Alba on the list would improve the odds of a pro-independence Scottish Parliament.

The endorsement comes in spite of the First Minister accusing list-only Alba of trying to "game" the Holyrood electoral system and asking people to give both their votes to the SNP.

Salmond, who set out a route map to independence this afternoon, argues Alba can attract pro independence list votes that would otherwise be “wasted” if they went to the SNP, given the additional member voting system which makes it harder for parties which do well in the constituencies to win seats in the regional lists.

The former FM has said a combination of SNP, Alba and Greens MSPs would create a “super-majority” for independence at Holyrood, putting pressure on Boris Johnson to grant a second referendum.

In his campaign launch today he pointed to a Panelbase poll at the weekend which put the independence parties on course for 79 MSPs, giving a Yes majority of 29.

READ MORE: Alex Salmond says it's in 'Scottish national interests' to vote Alba on the list

Dolan told the Daily Record: “I’m voting for what I regard as the best opportunity for getting a second independence referendum, or moving towards independence.

“On the basis of the way on which the system works it would be sensible, if you favour independence, to vote for the SNP in the constituency vote and Alba on the second vote.”

He also said there was a “very strong probability” Alba would take seats off unionist parties, adding the “probability of an independence-supporting majority is increased by voting Alba”.