Alex Salmond, the former first minister of Scotland who called the 2014 independence referendum, has died at the age of 69.
The ex-Scottish National Party leader collapsed and died on Saturday shortly after delivering a speech in North Macedonia.
On Saturday night, Sir Keir Starmer led the tributes, calling him a “monumental figure of Scottish and UK politics” who “leaves behind a lasting legacy”.
Mr Salmond was the first minister of Scotland between 2007 and 2014 and is best known for calling the 2014 referendum on leaving the UK.
He led the SNP from 2004 until his resignation in 2014, transforming its fortunes and turning it into the dominant force in Scottish politics.
He later split with the party over its handling of sexual impropriety allegations against him and formed Alba, a new pro-independence movement.
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.”
John Swinney, the current First Minister of Scotland, added: “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.”
Mr Salmond was born in West Lothian on New Year’s Eve 1954 and first became active in the SNP whilst he was a student at St Andrews University.
His political career took off when he was elected to parliament as the MP for Banff and Buchan in 1987, an area he would also represent in Holyrood.
He was then elevated to become leader of the party in 2004 following its poor showing in that year’s European parliament elections.
It emerged as the largest party at the 2007 Scottish elections, with Mr Salmond as first minister at the head of a minority government propped up by the Greens.
Four years later he led the SNP to an overall majority and immediately pressed ahead with his long-held plans to hold an independence referendum.
A vote was held on September 18, 2014, but resulted in defeat for the pro-independence movement, resulting in Mr Salmond stepping down as first minister.
He was replaced by his deputy, Nicola Sturgeon, with whom he had forged a formidable partnership over their seven years together in power.
But the pair’s relationship broke down irrevocably when in 2018 he faced multiple allegations of sexual impropriety dating back to his time in office.
Mr Salmond and his allies were enraged by her handling of the Scottish Government’s official investigation into the claims.
He later took successful legal action, with the SNP administration admitting it should not have appointed an investigating officer who had “prior involvement” in his case.
Mr Salmond was charged with 14 offences against 10 women including rape, sexual assault, indecent assault and breach of the peace.
He was acquitted of all the charges in March 2020 following a trial at Edinburgh’s high court.
Ms Sturgeon, who succeeded him as first minister in 2014, paid tribute to her “mentor” and said she was “shocked and sorry” to hear of his death.
“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,” she said.
“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.”
Last month, Mr Salmond, who was taking fresh legal action against the Scottish Government, said he “seriously doubted” the pair would ever speak again.
The schism with Ms Sturgeon prompted him to set up Alba in 2021. The party has since stood against the SNP in both Scottish and UK elections.
ChrisMcEleny, the party’s general secretary, thanked Mr Salmond for “all your lessons, advice, guidance, mentorship, love and friendship”.
He added: “For many years you were the father of the nation and for several years you’ve been a father-like figure to me. Our dream will live forever.”
Tributes poured from across the political spectrum following the announcement of his death, which came just hours after he had posted on social media.
Rishi Sunak said: “While I disagreed with him on the constitutional question, there was no denying his skill in debate or his passion for politics.”
Gordon Brown, another former prime minister, added that he was saddened by the news.
Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, said it was a “shock” and that “his contribution to the Scottish political landscape cannot be overstated”.
