ALBA party MPs have hired a former SNP MSP to work for them in Westminster.

Neale Hanvey and Kenny MacAskill have appointed Jim Eadie to conduct research and assist them in parliament.

Eadie, a former SNP MSP for Edinburgh Southern, joined the Alba party and stood for election in the recent Scottish Parliament poll, losing out on Holyrood seat along with all other Alba candidates.

However he has now secured a job with the party’s two current MPs.

The National:

Neale Hanvey, Jim Eadie, Alex Salmond and Eva Comrie on the campaign trail earlier this month

In a video posted this afternoon, former First Minister Alex Salmond said the party had made a number of appointments, including Eadie, on an “interim basis” pending the party conference, scheduled to take place in September.

The Alba leader said: “Obviously we’re going to be a party with a smaller staff base than some of our rivals but we think its going to be a more efficient one, and it has to be one that we can command in terms of the income streams for the party.”

He added: "[Neale Hanvey and Kenny MacAskill] have asked Jim Eadie, the former MSP and Alba candidate to be their point-person at Westminster. Jim will be taking forward that job in the next few weeks.”

Asked about the appointment, MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath Neale Hanvey said: "Jim is working across both offices to support our parliamentary work as a senior researcher.

"He brings a huge range of experience as a parliamentarian and as someone who has leadership experience in other parliamentary-focused roles in political parties and external organisations.

"Appointing Jim is a great advantage to us in parliament and consequently to our effectiveness for our constituents."

It is understood that the Alba MPs will not be allocated Short Money from Westminster as they did not get elected for the party which they currently represent.

According to the House of Commons guidelines, Short Money is given to parties “that secured either two seats, or one seat and more than 150,000 votes, at the previous General Election.”

As the Alba MPs switched from the SNP, but were elected as SNP politicians, it means they are not entitled to public funding to support their running costs.

The current allowance is £18,297.43 for every seat won at the last election, and £36.54 for every 200 votes gained by the party as a whole.

In the current financial year, the SNP will receive more than £1.1m of Short money, while Labour will get more than £6.6m.