King ‘greatly saddened’ by sudden death of former SNP leader Alex Salmond

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Former first minister of Scotland and titan of Scottish politics Alex Salmond has died from a suspected heart attack
The Alba Party leader had given a speech at an event in North Macedonia on Saturday morning
Local police reported the former first minister ‘felt sick during his lecture and he fell on the floor’
Nicola Sturgeon has paid a bittersweet tribute to her ‘mentor’ despite breakdown in relationship
Sir Keir Starmer called Salmond a ‘monumental figure of Scottish and UK politics’
Twice leader of the SNP, Salmond took the party from the fringe to domination over Scottish politics

The King has said he is “greatly saddened” to hear of the sudden death of Alex Salmond, Scotland’s first SNP first minister, at the age of 69.

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.”

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John Swinney pays tribute to Alex Salmond

Politics

Nicola Sturgeon pays tribute to ‘mentor’ and political titan Alex Salmond

Former first minister of Scotland Alex Salmond died on Saturday aged 69.

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.

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.

Queen Elizabeth II and Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond watch the Riding procession go past at the opening of the third session of the Scottish Parliament on June 30, 2007 in Edinburgh. — Queen Elizabeth II and Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond watch the Riding procession go past at the opening of the third session of the Scottish Parliament on June 30, 2007 in Edinburgh. Getty Images

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”.

Tributes from political contemporaries praised him for his decades in politics and efforts to move Scotland closer to independence.

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 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.

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.”