Latest
'HE WAS MY MENTOR'
Alex Salmond dead: Nicola Sturgeon pays tribute to former SNP mentor after his sudden death aged 69
The ex-first minister paid tribute to her predecessor and one-time friend
NICOLA Sturgeon has paid tribute to her former close ally Alex Salmond after her predecessor as First Minister died on Saturday.
Ms Sturgeon, who was deputy First Minister to Mr Salmond between 2007 and 2014, said she was "shocked and sorry".
4
4
4
4
In a statement, she said: "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.”
ALEX SALMOND'S CAREER IN POLITICS
1954: Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond is born on December 31, 1954, in Linlithgow.
1973: Joins the SNP as a teenager. He attends the University of St Andrews where he studies economics and medieval history.
1978: Joins the civil service as an assistant economist at the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland - part of the now defunct Scottish Office.
1980: Moves to work at the Royal Bank of Scotland as an economist.
1982: Expelled from the SNP after being a key part of the 79 Group - a faction within the SNP pushing for the party to take a more active left-wing stance. His expulsion lasts just one month.
1987: Elected as MP for the Banff and Buchan as one of three SNP MPs returned to Westminster. Months later becomes SNP deputy leader.
1990: Succeeds Gordon Wilson as SNP leader.
1997: Under his leadership, the SNP increases its MPs from four to six at the general election. He backs the campaign for a devolved Scottish Parliament.
1999: Becomes MSP for Banff and Buchan.
2000: Makes shock announcement that he is standing down as SNP leader. He is succeeded by John Swinney.
2001: Resigns his seat in the Scottish Parliament to focus on leading the SNP at Westminster.
2004: Takes over for his second stint as SNP leader after John Swinney stands down. He goes on to hold the job for the next decade.2007: Elected as First Minister of Scotland after leading the SNP to victory at the Scottish Parliament election in 2007.
2012: Secures agreement with Prime Minister David Cameron for a Scottish independence referendum, to be held in 2014.
2014: Spearheads the independence campaign, raising support to 45 per cent - falling short of his goal to split from the UK. Following the referendum, he resigns as First Minister.
2015: Returns to Westminster as MP for Gordon. He holds the job for two years before losing his seat at the snap election called by Theresa May.
2018: Quits the SNP after allegations of sexual misconduct are made against him. He has a major falling out with Nicola Sturgeon in the aftermath, including how a probe into him is handled by the Scottish Government.
2020: At the High Court in Edinburgh, he is found not guilty on 12 sexual assault charges against him, while another is found not proven.
2021: Founds new independence party Alba. Kenny MacAskill and Neale Hanvey defect to Alba, giving the party their first elected parliamentarians.
2023: Ash Regan defects to Alba, giving the party its first MSP at Holyrood
The pair were close political allies for several decades but had a major falling out after allegations of sexual harassment were made against Mr Salmond in 2018.
In a two-part BBC documentary released just last month, Mr Salmond said he “seriously” doubted whether he would ever be on speaking terms again with Ms Sturgeon.
He told the broadcaster “A big regret that Nicola and I are no longer on speaking terms, and I seriously doubt if that’s going to improve.
“Now, that’s a great pity because I did indicate that you shouldn’t say anything’s for ever, but that’s the way it looks and that’s just the way it’s going to be.”
Most read in The Scottish Sun
BY CHRIS MUSSON: ASSOCIATE EDITOR POLITICS
ALEX Salmond was still going at 110mph, right until the very end.
I last saw him a month ago when he came into the Scottish Sun offices for an interview to mark a decade since the independence referendum.
He was utterly bullish, as ever. Determined, incisive, funny, pugnacious.
He was as sharp as a tack. A man still following every last twist and turn of politics, in Scotland and beyond.
When I started my weekly column for the Scottish Sun earlier this year, I told readers I wanted to hear from them.
Salmond was the first person to email me after my debut piece, which had been about the past decade of "madness", as I put it, and how it had been unhealthy for Scotland "I don’t fully agree with your analysis," Salmond told me. I'll take that, I thought.
But that interview we did just over a month ago was a walk in the park for Salmond.
Nothing got past him, and he was prepared for every question I put to him. He even had a plug ready for his 2026 Holyrood election strategy.
The interview was on camera and as a final question, I asked if he'd retire if failed to win a seat in two years’ time.
His response was first-class - not quite giving a straight answer, but colourful enough to draw a line under the issue.
“Oh, I intend to lead Alba into the Scottish Parliament in 2026. That’s my full intention," he said. "And if that doesn’t work, then I’ll probably go back to grabbing the family season ticket at Tynecastle, and hope by then we’re in a vein of form.”
After he ended, he delivered a signature chortle, then held a smile for the camera until we cut
We exchanged gossip afterwards and as I walked him to reception he quipped. "I hope you got some of what you wanted, there." Clocking the security guard had recognised him, he made a beeline for the guy, shook his hand and said a quick hello.
After Salmond gone, I said to the security guard: "You a fan?"
"Nah - not my politics," he said, but added: "He seems a nice chap, though."
And that was Salmond through and through. He liked to be liked, and - in his heyday, especially - he was great at it.
I remember thinking as he left: What a pro.
I also remember thinking that he did not look well. He was struggling with his walking, and had put on a lot of weight in recent years.
But he just kept going. He still had much to prove, after a decade of enormous upheaval for him.
Salmond thrived on popularity. He was a political animal - but wounded, damaged beyond repair, I think, by the infamous allegations against him and his own, self-confessed shortcomings.
People would often ask: Why doesn't he just retire? But, that just wasn't him. He would have to be made to stop.
Salmond still felt he had scores to settle - with the Scottish Government, with his foes in the SNP.
He so desperately wanted to get out from under that cloud that's hung over him in recent years. To regain that popularity he once had.
That won't happen now, of course. The fight is over for Salmond. But say what you want about him - he never gave up.
Also discussing their relationship in the documentary, Ms Sturgeon said: “One of the hardest things about the breakdown between me and Alex is the fact that so many of the best moments of my life, he is so integral to, and it’s hard now to look back on them with just unallowed pleasure and joy.”
Following its release, Mr Salmond would go on to blast the documentary, describing it as being "venomous and biased".
Alex Salmond insists Scottish Independence will happen within 10 years
He urged independence supports against trusting the BBC after claims were made in the documentary that he "abused his power" while in office.
Former First Minister Humza Yousaf told the programme: "In 99 per cent of the meetings you are, on any given day, the most powerful person in that room.
"You can choose to use that power appropriately or you can choose to abuse it. On too many occasions, given the behaviour that Alex has already admitted, there were too many instances of that abuse of power."
Linda Fabiani, who served as culture secretary under Mr Salmond between 2007 and 2009, also said he would "just let rip" at those who displeased him.
But, in a sharp rebuke to the documentary, Mr Salmond said: "When I was invited to take part in a 'blue chip' history of the rise of the SNP by Firecrest Films for the BBC, I should have smelled a rat immediately, instead of believing the assurances that they willingly gave, that they were intent on making serious programming."
Speaking about their fractured relationship during an Edinburgh Festival Fringe event in 2023, Ms Sturgeon appeared to rule out any prospect of reconciliation.
She told Iain Dale at the event: “I was very close to Alex for a long, long time. We achieved great things together and I’ll always be proud of that.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
“I’m not trying to rewrite history here but over recent years he has revealed himself to be somebody that I don’t want to have in my life, I don’t particularly want to have a relationship with.
“We don’t have long on this planet, we’ve got a limited amount of time to spend with people. I want to spend the time I have with people who make me happy and who I like.”
Topics