Alex Salmond took the SNP from protest to powerpublished at 20:11 British Summer Time

20:11 BST

Glenn Campbell
BBC Scotland Political Editor

There might not be a Scottish Parliament if it wasn’t for Alex Salmond.

It was under his leadership that the SNP decided to back Labour plans for devolution a quarter of a century ago.

As an independence-supporting politician he could have said the scheme was not good enough and urged his supporters to boycott the 1997 referendum.

Instead, he took a “gradualist” view that establishing a parliament in Edinburgh would give the SNP a platform from which to build support.

That helped secure a large majority in favour of a devolved Scottish Parliament and it was delivered in 1999.

This approach worked for the SNP too.

Within eight years he would lead his party from protest to power, taking the SNP into government for the first time.

He later secured an overall majority of seats at Holyrood, paving the way for the independence referendum that came close to ending Scotland’s political union with England.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Read Alex Salmond's obituary here.

Former UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn writes on X that it is "very sad" to hear of Salmond's death.

"He was formidable, determined and principled to his core," Corbyn says.

"We will miss his tenacity and humour most. My thoughts are with his family and friends in Scotland and around the world."

'Politics was what he cared about'published at 19:43 British Summer Time

19:43 BST

Andrew Kerr
BBC Scotland political correspondent

Alex Salmond was a politician to his finger tips – and his final social media posts demonstrate that.

On X, Mr Salmond has a five-part thread commenting on yesterday’s Council of the Nations and Regions which met in Edinburgh.

He said the current First Minister John Swinney should have declined the meeting – with the words “Scotland is a country, not a county”.

It shows just how fiercely active he was in constantly pushing the case for independence – at a time when many of his peers would have started retreating from front-line politics.

Just over two weeks ago, he held a press conference with a couple hoping to sue the UK government over the withdrawal of the winter fuel payment.

I last spoke to him two weeks ago at Holyrood when the King marked the 25th anniversary of devolution.

Mr Salmond was there with his wife, Moira, as he attempted to press home to me the potential significance of that potential court case.

Politics was what he cared about and the tributes from his opponents today show just that.

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Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay says Alex Salmond will be remembered as a "formidable and impressive politician who made a lasting impact on our country".

"I am shocked and saddened to hear of Alex Salmond's sudden passing," he says.

"No matter our political beliefs, we can all respect his dedication to public service as an MSP, MP and First Minister of Scotland."

"The thoughts of everyone in the Scottish Conservative Party are with his family and friends."

Salmond made the SNP a political force to be reckoned withpublished at 19:37 British Summer Time

19:37 BST

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent

Alex Salmond was one of the most instinctive political minds I’ve ever dealt with.

He knew how to read the lay of the land. He was regularly several steps ahead of other politicians. He was unflinchingly confident. It was near impossible to catch him out in an interview.

He made the SNP a political force to be reckoned with in his first spell as leader.

In his second spell, he took the party into power, less than a decade after the creation of the Scottish Parliament. He came far closer than many expected to taking Scotland out of the UK in 2014. He made Scottish independence a realistic prospect rather than a fringe idea.

After he quit the SNP to fight sexual misconduct allegations, he formed a new party Alba, which appealed to some nationalists frustrated at the lack of progress on independence.

Alba has not made a significant mark electorally. But it’s a testament to Salmond’s leadership influence that some high-profile SNP politicians - two MPs and one MSP - jumped ship and joined his new party. Several others who stayed in the SNP had a huge amount of time and sympathy for him (even if many in the SNP felt the opposite).

It remains to be seen what happens to Alba without its charismatic talisman.

But there is no doubting that Alex Salmond was an incredibly capable, passionate and successful politician.

Image source, get

Scotland's former First Minister Alex Salmond has died, aged 69.

Here are the main headlines:

• The former MP and MSP was in North Macedonia when he became ill

• It is understood he collapsed after delivering a speech at an international conference on Saturday
• Salmond led Scotland between 2007 and 2014
• He led the pro-independence side ahead of the referendum in 2014 and resigned as first minister after Scottish voters backed remaining in the UK by 55% to 45%
• Salmond formed the pro-independence Alba Party in 2021 after resigning from the SNP three years earlier
• UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described Salmond as being a "monumental figure of Scottish and UK politics"
• Scotland's First Minister John Swinney said he was "deeply shocked and saddened" at the news and extended his condolences to Salmond's wife Moira and his family

• Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, whohad been Salmond's closest ally before a spectacular fall out, said she was "shocked and sorry" to hear of his death

We'll keep bringing you all the analysis and reaction to Alex Salmond's death. You can read his obituary here.

A group photo including Alex Salmond (eighth from the right) was posted on Facebook yesterday by the Ohrid Cultural Diplomacy Forum 2024 - an event he was attending on Friday.

Image source, Academy for Cultural Diplomacy

Image source, Academy for Cultural Diplomacy

As we reported earlier, Alex Salmond was taken ill after giving a speech in North Macedonia.

He was listed as one of six panellists at the Ohrid Cultural Diplomacy Forum 2024 yesterday.

Some of the other people on the panel included the president of Malta and the president of the Republic of North Macedonia, according to the forum's agenda, external.

It also shows the panel discussion fell under the title of "Young Leaders for International Cooperation, Cultural Understanding & Peace".

The forum was scheduled to run from 10 October to 13 October.

We'll bring you more updates on what Salmond was doing in the country as we get them.

Image source, Getty Images

Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon were the SNP's dream team for years but after losing the Scottish independence referendum vote their relationship became a nightmare.

The Salmond/Sturgeon association spans three decades.

"He believed in me long before I believed in myself," Sturgeon once said.

Alex Salmond was a mentor, ally and friend and for 10 years she was his deputy as they campaigned hard, won elections and pushed towards a shared dream of Scottish independence.

But when Sturgeon took over as SNP leader and Scotland's first minister in 2014 the relationship began to get rocky.

In 2018, allegations of sexual harassment - strongly denied - were made against Salmond by two female civil servants.

The complaints were made after Sturgeon asked for new government policies on sexual harassment to be put in place in the wake of the #MeToo movement. Salmond believed the policy was aimed at him.

The Scottish government eventually admitted it had acted unlawfully. It had to pay Mr Salmond's legal fees of more than £500,000.

Salmond accused officials close to Sturgeon - including her husband Peter Murrell, the SNP's chief executive - of plotting against him. They all denied the claims.

The two most powerful SNP figures of their generation were estranged in a way that would never be resolved.

Image source, Getty Images

Former first minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon has called Alex Salmond a "mentor" despite the "breakdown" of their relationship in recent years.

"I am shocked and sorry to learn of Alex Salmond's death," she says.

"Obviously, I cannot pretend that the events of the past few years which led to the breakdown of our relationship did not happen, and it would not be right for me to try.

"However, it remains the fact that 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.

"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.

"He will be remembered for all of that. My thoughts are with Moira, his wider family and his friends."

Nick Robinson
Presenter, Radio 4 Today

No politician in modern times has come closer to redrawing the map of their country - securing independence for Scotland or breaking up the United Kingdom, depending on your point of view.

Alex Salmond did it with a mixture of passion, energy, charisma and strategic brilliance. Above all, he did it by proving that Nationalists could be trusted to run their country competently.

Just before he became First Minister in 2007, we had breakfast together in a London hotel over what he insisted was the best haggis available south of the border.

I pointed out that he might get the top job but he wouldn’t get a parliamentary majority in Holyrood.

"Who needs a majority?" he demanded to know, adding: "I will have money, a platform and I will speak for Scotland." He used those assets to great effect.

Journalists loved his company because he could dissect and analyse politics like few others. He was already ready with a pithy and a witty soundbite. He liked to debate and argue, not merely to repeat a line to take.

He was, though, a fearsome man to cross. We clashed at a news conference just before the independence referendum in 2014 when I was BBC political editor and he presented me as a representative of the Westminster classes sent to Scotland to frustrate the public’s desire for independence. It was as uncomfortable as experience as any I’ve been through as a journalist.

He proved to be a divisive figure in his own party too. He was cleared of charges of sexual assault but his behaviour then and since destroyed his relationships not just with his long-term deputy and acolyte Nicola Sturgeon, but many other leading SNP figures as well.

Alex could very easily have given up the fight, given in to his many enemies and disappeared after his court cases and acrimonious split with the SNP leadership. He chose instead to form a new party - Alba - and fought as hard as he ever had to find a new route to the dream that drove him on.

He has died all too early, leaving a huge hole in Scottish politics, and though I never repaired my relationship with him, I will miss him.

He never achieved his goal but no-one came anything like as close, and perhaps they never will.

Image source, Getty Images

In August 2018, four years after he had stood down, the Daily Record newspaper revealed Alex Salmond had been reported to police over sexual assault allegations dating back to his time as first minister.

He denied the claims and said he was taking the Scottish government to court to challenge the complaints procedure which had been activated against him.

A week later he resigned from the SNP after 45 years.

The following year Salmond was charged with 14 offences, including two counts of attempted rape.

However, in 2020, after two weeks of evidence, he was acquitted of every charge.

Despite this the testimony was devastating for his public image.

Salmond's advocate, Gordon Jackson KC, admitted that his client had sometimes behaved badly, calling him "touchy-feely".

Details of inappropriate behaviour included Salmond admitting having a "sleepy cuddle" with one complainer, and what Mr Jackson called "a bit of how's your father" with another - both younger members of his staff, neither of them his wife.

The KC said in his closing speech that the former first minister "could certainly have been a better man".

Scottish Parliament presiding officer Alison Johnstone has been offering her "most sincere condolences" to Salmond's wife Moira, his family and friends at this difficult time.

"Our thoughts are with you. Flags at the Parliament have been lowered as a mark of respect."

The SNP has issued an official tribute on its X account.

Alongside a black-and-white image of Alex Salmond, it reads: "His leadership brought the SNP into the mainstream and the Scottish government.

"He was a titan of the independence movement. Our thoughts are with Moira and his family."

Image source, Getty Images

When Alex Salmond returned to be leader of the SNP in 2004 the prospect of independence seemed very distant. The party was struggling in opposition and there were not many people, even within the party, who truly believed it was possible to achieve.

Within three years he was in government and in 2011 he pulled off a feat which had been designed to be impossible - winning an overall majority at a Scottish parliamentary election.

A triumphant SNP began planning for an independence referendum.

Over the course of the following three years, Salmond was credited with out-smarting the then prime minister David Cameron and his coalition government colleagues, winning crucial battles over the timing and structure of the vote and the wording of the question which would be put to voters.

Rival campaigns were meant to take the debate out of the politicians' hands but in the end it came down to Salmond trading blows with Labour's Alastair Darling in a series of televised debates.

Salmond was strong on rhetoric and vision, projecting an optimistic view of a future Scotland that could do anything it wanted but he was less sure on dealing with Scotland's structural deficit, what currency would be used and how state pensions would be funded and paid.

In the end, the result was a "No" to independence.

Salmond had failed but the fact he had led his side to a 45% share was a remarkable achievement.

Image source, PA Media

Scottish First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney says he is "deeply shocked and saddened" at the "untimely death".

"I extend my deepest condolences to Alex’s wife Moira and to his family," he says.

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

"Alex worked tirelessly and fought fearlessly for the country that he loved and for her independence. He took the Scottish National Party from the fringes of Scottish politics into government and led Scotland so close to becoming an Independent country.

"There will be much more opportunity to reflect in the coming days, but today all of our thoughts are with Alex’s family and his many friends right across the political spectrum."

Former Scotland first minister Humza Yousaf has been paying his tributes, praising Salmond for helping to turn the SNP into a "dominant political force".

Mr Yousaf, SNP leader from 2023 to 2024, adds: "Alex and I obviously had our differences in the last few years, but there's no doubt about the enormous contribution he made to Scottish and UK politics.

"As well as helping to transform the SNP into the dominant political force it is today."

Image source, PA Media

Ian Murray, the Secretary of State for Scotland, says it is impossible to overstate the impact Salmond has had on Scotland and on its political landscape over the decades. .

The Labour MP for Edinburgh South says he "served the country he loved as First Minister and will be dearly missed by many. My thoughts are with his family and loved ones at this difficult time."

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent

It’s hard to overstate the impact Alex Salmond had on modern Scotland.

He took the SNP from a small party at Westminster to the dominant force in Scottish politics. He broke the system by delivering a majority at Holyrood in 2011.

He also came close to delivering his dream of Scottish independence in 2014. It didn’t happen, but the fact it has been such a key part of the debate in UK politics is in no small part thanks to Alex Salmond.

There were of course controversies.

He was acquitted of sexual assault in 2020.

His falling out with Nicola Sturgeon is one of the most dramatic political stories I’ve ever covered. It still has a huge impact on nationalist politics in Scotland.

But there is no denying that Scotland is tonight marking the passing of one it’s most influential and consequential politicians.