Former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond dies at 69

Tributes are being paid to Scotland’s former first minister Alex Salmond following his death aged 69, with Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer describing him as a “monumental figure of Scottish and UK politics”.

Salmond, who was a divisive figure in British politics and who as the then leader of the Scottish National Party took Scotland to the brink of independence in a 2014 referendum, died in North Macedonia on Saturday after delivering a speech.

Tributes poured in from across the political spectrum, with King Charles saying he was sad to hear of his death.

“My wife and I are greatly saddened to hear of the sudden death of Alex Salmond,” he said in a message issued by Buckingham Palace.

“His devotion to Scotland drove his decades of public service.”

“He leaves behind a lasting legacy,” Sir Keir said on X.

“As first minister of Scotland, he cared deeply about Scotland’s heritage, history and culture, as well as the communities he represented.”

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.

As leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), he led the independence campaign in the referendum in 2014, but lost, gaining 45 per cent of the vote.

He resigned from the SNP in 2018 after sexual harassment allegations.

He subsequently formed a new party called Alba ? the Scottish Gaelic word for Scotland ? and was acquitted of the charges.

The current SNP first minister, John Swinney, said that he was “deeply shocked and saddened at the untimely death” of Salmond.

“Over many years, Alex made an enormous contribution to political life, not just within Scotland, but across the UK and beyond,” he 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.

Former UK Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that Salmond was a “huge figure in our politics”.

“”While I disagreed with him on the constitutional question, there was no denying his skill in debate or his passion for politics,” Sunak said on X.

Nicola Sturgeon, who succeeded Salmond as first minister of Scotland, said he was her “mentor”.

“For many years Alex was an incredibly significant figure in my life. He was my mentor, and for more than a decade we formed one of the most successful partnerships in UK politics,” she said.

“Alex modernised the SNP and led us into government for the first time, becoming Scotland’s fourth First Minister and paving the way for the 2014 referendum which took Scotland to the brink of independence.”

Former prime minister Boris Johnson said Salmond was “one of the great political disruptors of the age” and “the father of modern Scottish nationalism”.

“He was charismatic, clever, caustic and fearsome in debate,” he said.

“I am glad that he never succeeded in breaking up the union but very sad that he is gone.”

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said Salmond was “a central figure in politics for over three decades”.

“Alex was a central figure in politics for over three decades and his contribution to the Scottish political landscape can not be overstated.”

with AP