Commenting, John Farquhar Munro said: “In a race between Iain Gray and Alex Salmond, then I’d clearly choose Alex Salmond.

“I will not be voting SNP in May. I have already been and will continue to campaign for Alan Macrae. I will be voting for Alan Macrae who will be an excellent MSP for Highlands.

“I also will be encouraging voters across the Highlands and Islands to vote for their Liberal Democrat candidate.

Commenting, a spokesperson added:

“The SNP are relying on personal endorsements of Alex Salmond in this election. People in the Highlands are too savvy for this approach.

“They’ll remember the let downs of the SNP in Government and that the SNP and all the other parties want to centralize local services, like the police, and they’ll look for a real local champion. Alan Macrae is that local champion. And, if endorsements are to count, he has John F and the whole Highland team right behind him!”