Tributes to Scotland's former first minister, Alex Salmond
The 69-year old collapsed after giving a talk in North Macedonia
Last updated 13th Oct 2024
The King is leading the tributes to former First Minister Alex Salmond, saying he is "greatly saddened" to hear of his sudden death at the age of 69.
"His devotion to Scotland drove his decades of public service"
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.
"His devotion to Scotland drove his decades of public service.
"We extend our deep condolences to his family and loved ones at this time."
Alex Salmond - a political life in pictures
Alex Salmond built his political powerbase in the north east of Scotland, where he was first elected to Westminster as the MP for Banff and Buchan in 1987. He grew up in Linlithgow and joined the SNP as a student at St Andrews before working as an oil economist
Alex Salmond first became SNP leader in 1990 when the party had declined from the high point of support in the 1970s and was one of just three MPs after the 1992 election, seen here flanked by Margaret Ewing and Andrew Welsh.
For many years the former James Bond star Sean (later Sir Sean) Connery was the the SNP's highest-profile supporter, also helping to fund the party. They were friends for 30 years. Alex Salmond said of him: " He is the world's greatest Scot, the last of the real Hollywood stars, the definitive Bond."
Alex Salmond's SNP won the 2007 Scottish Parliament election in what he would describe as "as a 50 year storm", beating Jack McConnell's Scottish Labour by 1 seat to become the largest party at Holyrood. After a count disrupted by technical glitches with electronic vote counting machines the final result was not known late afternoon the next day. Alex Salmond audaciously flew by helicopter for a press conference in the grounds of luxury hotel in Edinburgh to stake his claim to form a minority government.
Until their spectacular falling-out, Nicola Sturgeon was among Alex Salmond's closest political allies, serving as his Deputy First Minster, and playing a leading role in the independence referendum campaign between 2012 and the vote in 2014, seen here with him launching the 'white paper' called Scotland's Future
Alex Salmond was one of the most energetic campaigners in Scottish politics all through his career, seen here during the referendum campaign posing with cupcakes on a visit to the Brownings Bakers bakery in Kilmarnock.
Alex Salmond announced his resignation as First Minister and SNP leader the morning after Yes lost the independence referendum by 45% to 55%. But it wasn't long before he returned to the political fray, taking the Gordon seat in the General Election of 2015 as the SNP took 56 of the 59 Scottish seats in the wake of the referendum.
The low point of Alex Salmond's political life came following accusations made against him by a number of women during his time as First Minister. He resigned his SNP membership. At his trial at the High Court in Edinburgh after he was cleared of attempted rape and a series of sexual assaults, including one with intent to rape, against nine women, who were all either working for the Scottish Government or within the SNP at the time. His relationship with Nicola Sturgeon would break down and the handling of the complaints would subsequently be found to have been "tainted by apparent bias", according to a judge at the Court of Session who awarded Mr Salmond more than £500,000.
In 2021 Alex Salmond formed a new nationalist movement called Alba. Long-time political ally Kenny MacAskill became their first parliamentarian when he switched from the SNP. The party failed to hold onto any seats at the 2024 General Election. Ash Regan continues to represent the party as an MSP at Holyrood.
Beyond politics, horse racing was one of Alex Salmond's great passions. Here he poses with Frankie Dettori, having presented him with a tie after the jockey won the Ayr Gold Cup.
SNP tributes
Scotland's First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney said he "took the Scottish National Party from the fringes of Scottish politics into government and led Scotland so close to becoming an independent country".
His former colleague Nicola Sturgeon acknowledged the "breakdown" of her relationship with Mr Salmond but praised him for taking Scotland to the "brink of independence".
"He was my mentor, and for more than a decade we formed one of the most successful partnerships in UK politics," she wrote.
Holyrood flags lowered
Flags outside the Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh have been lowered as a mark of respect.
Passers-by have been stopping to leave flowers and flags outside Holyrood as well, with one note saying "the dream will never die".
Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone posted a message of sympathy to his family and friends on social media.
Westminster reaction
Sir Keir Starmer called Mr Salmond a "monumental figure of Scottish and UK politics".
The Prime Minister said: "For more than 30 years, Alex Salmond was a monumental figure of Scottish and UK politics. He leaves behind a lasting legacy.
"As First Minister of Scotland he cared deeply about Scotland's heritage, history and culture, as well as the communities he represented as MP and MSP over many years of service.
"My thoughts are with those who knew him, his family and his loved ones. On behalf of the UK government, I offer them our condolences today."
In 2012 Alex Salmond signed the Edinburgh Agreement with Conservative Prime Minister, David Cameron, which gave the Scottish Parliament the powers to hold the Independence Referendum in 2014.
Another former Conservative PM, Boris Johnson, has called him "one of the great political disrupters of the age".
Collapsed after giving a speech in North Macedonia
Mr Salmond had made a speech at the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy Forum and is understood to have collapsed at lunch in a crowded room.
The Alba party said it understood he had suffered a heart attack, although there will be a post-mortem examination to confirm the cause of death.
"Unfortunately, Alex Salmond, the former first minister of Scotland who was one of the panellists at yesterday's cultural diplomacy forum that was held in Ohrid, died suddenly today," the office of former North Macedonia President Gjorgje Ivanov said.
Kenny MacAskill, Alba's deputy leader, said the party "grieves the loss of their founder and leader" but that "the dream he cherished so closely and came so close to delivering will never die."
Leading the SNP to power and a referendum
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.
He resigned as first minister after the 2014 Scottish independence referendum resulted in a 55% to 45% vote to stay in the UK.
He launched his rival Scottish independence party, Alba, in 2021 after his relationship with his successor Nicola Sturgeon fractured.
His final post on X, formerly Twitter, shortly before his death, ended "Scotland is a country not a county".