Former Scottish Prime Minister Alex Salmond has died

Scotland's former prime minister Alex Salmond has died suddenly at the age of 69.

The former MP and MSP, who ruled the country between 2007 and 2014, fell ill while attending an international conference in North Macedonia.

The North Macedonian government said Mr Salmond lost consciousness at the Inex Olgica hotel near the city of Ohrid at around 3.30pm local time on Saturday.

According to local media reports, he collapsed during a lunch and was pronounced dead at the scene. According to the Press Association news agency, the Alba party he leads assumes the cause of death was a heart attack.

Tributes poured in from across the political spectrum, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer describing him as a “monumental figure in Scottish and British politics”.

Salmond's successor as First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said he had been her mentor and that “for more than a decade we have built one of the most successful partnerships in British politics”.

King Charles said he and the Queen were “very saddened” by the news of Salmond's sudden death, adding: “His devotion to Scotland characterized his decades of public service.”

“We express our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones in this grief.”

Salmond led independence supporters ahead of the 2014 referendum and resigned as first minister after Scottish voters voted 55% to 45% to remain in the UK.

He led the SNP to power when it won the Scottish Parliament election in 2007, having previously been party leader between 1990 and 2000.

Salmond, Scotland's first independence supporter, then led the SNP to one an unprecedented majority in the election four years later – which paved the way for the referendum to be held.

Under his leadership, the Scottish Government also introduced popular measures including free NHS prescriptions and free tuition fees for Scottish students.

After resigning as First Minister he had one spectacular rainfall with Sturgeon over her government's mishandling of harassment complaints against him.

So was Salmond acquitted of serious sexual offenses after a trial in Edinburgh in 2020.

He had been accused of 13 offenses including attempted rape, but was acquitted of all charges against him after two weeks of evidence in the Supreme Court.

The women who made the allegations against Salmond – which date back to his time as first minister – included an SNP politician, a party staffer and several current and former civil servants and Scottish Government officials.

During his testimony in court, he said the claims about his alleged behavior were “deliberate falsifications for political purposes” or “exaggerations.”

In his closing speech to the jury, Salmond's lawyer said the former first minister “could certainly have been a better man” but had committed no crimes.

After Leaving the SNPSalmond founded an alternative independence party called Alba, of which he was chairman.

He also hosted his own show on the controversial Russian broadcaster RT, but suspended it after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Alba has asked the British Foreign Office for help in returning Salmond's body to the UK.

Its deputy leader Kenny MacAskill described Salmond as “the outstanding Scottish politician not just of his generation but for generations well before that” and said he had “extraordinary charm and a common touch that endeared him to so many in Scotland”.

Paying tribute to her former political mentor, Sturgeon said she was “shocked and sorry” to learn of Salmond’s death.

She added: “Of course I can't pretend that the events of the last few years that led to the breakdown of our relationship didn't happen and it wouldn't be right for me to try.”

“However, the fact remains that Alex was an incredibly important figure in my life for many years.

“He was my mentor and for over a decade we formed one of the most successful partnerships in British politics.”

First Minister John Swinney said he was “deeply shocked and saddened” by the news and offered his condolences to Salmond’s wife Moira and his family.

Swinney added: “Alex worked tirelessly and fought fearlessly for the country he loved and for its independence.”

“He led the Scottish National Party from the fringes of Scottish politics into government and brought Scotland so close to independence.”

Former first minister Humza Yousaf said he and Salmond had “obviously had differences in recent years” but praised the “huge contribution he has made to Scottish and British politics”.

The Scottish Parliament has lowered its flags as a sign of respect for Salmond.

Salmond was born in Linlithgow on Hogmanay 1954 and went on to study economics and medieval history at the University of St Andrews, where he joined the SNP almost immediately after arriving in 1973.

He later worked as an assistant economist for the UK Government's Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland before moving to the Royal Bank of Scotland, where he worked as an economist for seven years, eventually specializing in oil and gas.

He was SNP MP for Banff and Buchan from 1987 to 2010 and was elected party leader in 1990.

Salmond was elected to the Scottish Parliament at its creation in 1999, but resigned as party leader a year later before returning as leader in 2004.

Sir Keir Starmer described Salmond as a “monumental figure in Scottish and British politics”.

The Prime Minister added: “As First Minister of Scotland, he cared deeply about Scotland’s heritage, history and culture, as well as the communities he represented over his long tenure as an MP and MSP.”

“My thoughts are with those who knew him, his family and loved ones. On behalf of the British government, I offer our condolences today.”

Starmer's predecessor as prime minister, Rishi Sunak, said: “Alex Salmond was a huge figure in our politics.”

“Although I disagreed with him on the constitutional issue, his talent for debate and his passion for politics were undeniable. May he rest in peace.”