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Tributes have poured in for the longtime Scottish first minister Alex Salmond after his sudden death aged 69 shocked the world of politics in which he was a senior figure for decades.
The current Alba leader passed away on Saturday afternoon at the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy Forum in the North Macedonia lake-resort town of Ohrid, the party’s general secretary Chris McEleny confirmed.
He had made a speech at the event, and the party said it understood he suffered a heart attack at lunch in a crowded room, although there will be a post-mortem examination to confirm the cause of death.
Mr Salmond served as first minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014 and was leader of the Scottish National Party on two occasions, from 1990 to 2000 and from 2004 to 2014, with contemporaries from across the political spectrum expressing their condolences.
British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer led the tributes, describing Mr Salmond as a “monumental figure of Scottish and UK politics” for more than 30 years.
Former first minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon paid tribute to her “mentor”, while Scotland’s current first minister John Swinney said Mr Salmond “fought fearlessly” for Scottish independence.
Alba Party deputy leader Kenny MacAskill said the party “grieves the loss of their founder and leader”.
Salmond said he was unsure if his relationship with Sturgeon could ever be mended
Alex Salmond said he was unsure if his relationship with Nicola Sturgeon could ever be mended.
Speaking in a BBC documentary, Salmond And Sturgeon: A Troubled Union, which was broadcast last month, he said: “I don’t really do hurt feelings very much … but it’s a big regret that Nicola and I are no longer on speaking terms.”
Reflecting on her relationship with Mr Salmond and its breakdown, Ms Sturgeon said he was “for a long time, a very positive force in my life”, adding: “But I think I had to learn how to be myself.”
Salmond stepped down as SNP leader but never stepped back from frontline politics
After Alex Salmond took the Scottish independence cause to “base camp” with the referendum, it was someone else’s turn to make a bid for the summit after the ‘Yes’ vote lost.
Borrowing from Ted Kennedy upon his resignation as SNP leader, Mr Salmond said: “For me as leader my time is nearly over but, for Scotland, the campaign continues and the dream shall never die.”
The speech marked the end of the Salmond era, with his deputy Nicola Sturgeon taking the helm as SNP leader and First Minister by November.
But those who thought he would step back from frontline politics were mistaken, with Mr Salmond announcing his intention to return to Westminster by standing in the 2015 general election.
He won the Gordon seat, and returned, alongside 55 SNP MPs, to the House of Commons, standing down as an MSP at the 2016 Scottish elections.
As the party’s foreign affairs spokesman, and with a UK-wide profile thanks to the independence referendum, Mr Salmond became one of Westminster’s biggest names.
As the 2016 EU referendum rolled around, he was often seen giving television interviews, and could even be heard on his own weekly radio phone-in show.
Many suspected Mr Salmond still had the ear of Ms Sturgeon, although despite never being short of opinions, he insisted moves towards a second independence vote were hers to make.
Even before Brexit, he seemed certain that Scotland’s fate had been fixed: “The destination is set. We’re now just arguing about the timetable,” he said in 2015.
In 2016, after the vote to leave the EU, he made no secret of his preference for a second vote sooner rather than later – pre-empting the first minister’s autumn 2018 to spring 2019 timetable.
Death of ex-Scotland First Minister Alex Salmond shocks political world
Alex Salmond, Scotland’s first SNP first minister, has died suddenly at the age of 69, shocking the world of politics where he was a senior figure for decades.
The current Alba leader died on Saturday afternoon at the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy Forum in the North Macedonia lake-resort town of Ohrid, Chris McEleny, the party’s general secretary, confirmed.
Mr Salmond served as First Minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014 and was leader of the SNP on two occasions, from 1990 to 2000 and from 2004 to 2014.
Helen Corbett reports:
Boris Johnson describes Salmond as ‘one of the great political disruptors of the age’
Former prime minister Boris Johnson said Alex Salmond was “one of the great political disruptors of the age” and “the father of modern Scottish nationalism”.
Paying tribute, Mr Johnson added: “He was charismatic, clever, caustic and fearsome in debate.
“I am glad that he never succeeded in breaking up the union but very sad that he is gone.”
Full story: King ‘greatly saddened’ by sudden death of former SNP leader
The King has said he is “greatly saddened” to hear of the sudden death of Alex Salmond, Scotland’s first SNP first minister, at the age of 69.
The Alba leader died on Saturday afternoon from a suspected heart attack during a trip to North Macedonia.
King Charles said in a message issued by Buckingham Palace: “My wife and I are greatly saddened to hear of the sudden death of Alex Salmond.”
Read the full story here:
Salmond understood to have died at lunch in crowded room after suffering heart attack
Alex Salmond is understood to have died at lunch in a crowded room after suffering a heart attack.
The current Alba leader died on Saturday afternoon at the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy Forum in the North Macedonia lake-resort town of Ohrid, Chris McEleny, the party’s general secretary, confirmed.
Mr Salmond had made a speech at the event, and the party said it understood he suffered a heart attack, although there will be a post-mortem examination to confirm the cause of death.
King says he and Queen are ‘greatly saddened to hear of sudden death of Alex Salmond’
The King has said he and the Queen are “greatly saddened to hear of the sudden death of Alex Salmond”.
In a message issued by Buckingham Palace, Charles also said: “His devotion to Scotland drove his decades of public service.
“We extend our deep condolences to his family and loved ones at this time.”
Salmond described decision to step down as SNP leader after referendum vote as ‘mistake’
As recently as September of this year, Alex Salmond said he regretted his decision to step down as leader of the Scottish National Party the day after the referendum vote, describing it as a “mistake”.
Speaking in a documentary by ITV Border about the 10th anniversary of the independence referendum – named A Decade of Debate – Mr Salmond said he would not have handed the reins to Nicola Sturgeon at the time had he known how the next 10 years would play out.
In the decade since the vote, support for independence has remained fairly static, leaving Mr Salmond frustrated by what he saw as a lack of action on the part of the SNP-run Scottish Government to secure another vote.
Away from the constitution, Alex Salmond’s time as first minister was eventful
Away from the constitution, Alex Salmond’s time as first minister was eventful.
His handling of planning for Donald Trump’s Scottish golf course; his dealings with newspaper boss Rupert Murdoch; the details of his expenses; a row over EU legal advice; and Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill’s decision to free Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds were among the controversial moments.
Elsewhere, popular policies such as free university tuition, free prescriptions, a freeze on council tax, and Mr Salmond’s seemingly innate talent for outmanoeuvring his political opponents helped to assure electoral success.
Outside politics, Mr Salmond married his partner, Moira, in 1981. He was a keen golfer and a fan of horse racing.
The rise of Alex Salmond who succeeded in reshaping Scottish politics beyond recognition
He was the fierce campaigner and master tactician who succeeded in reshaping Scottish politics beyond recognition.
Loved and loathed in equal measure, but few could deny Alex Salmond’s immense impact both north – and south – of the border.
History will remember Mr Salmond, who has died aged 69, as the leader who took the SNP to the brink of achieving the party’s dream of independence in 2014 – arguably no one has done as much as Mr Salmond to advance the nationalist cause.
Born in Linlithgow in 1954, Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond was educated at Linlithgow Academy and St Andrew’s University, where he first joined the SNP.
Graduating with a degree in economics and history, he worked as an economist for both the Government Economic Service and the Royal Bank of Scotland before being elected as an MP for the Banff and Buchan constituency in 1987.
His election at Westminster followed a turbulent period for the SNP, which saw its number of seats fall from 11 to two in the 1979 general election.
He characterised his early time at Westminster as “a one-man campaign of parliamentary disruption” – best illustrated when he was ejected from the chamber during the 1988 budget.
As a young and brash newcomer, Mr Salmond played a role in the breakaway faction of the party known as the “79 Group” which sought to take a more left-wing stance.
His brief expulsion as a result did not hinder his advancement within the party in the long term, with his election to leader coming in 1990.
With the creation of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, he went on to serve as leader of the opposition at Holyrood, while retaining his seat at Westminster.
He stood down as SNP leader in 2000 and left the Scottish Parliament in 2001.
Returning as leader in 2004, he guided his party to a narrow Scottish election win in 2007 and then led a minority government as he became Scotland’s first SNP First Minister – a feat many thought was unachievable.
