Live Reporting
Edited by Calum Watson
Thank you for joining us
published at 16:05 British Summer Time 13 October
16:05 BST 13 October
At this point we're bringing our live coverage of the death of Alex Salmond to an end.
Scotland's first minister, John Swinney, was among those paying tribute to his political achievements on Sunday, as reaction continued to come in from around the UK.
More details of Salmond's collapse after a suspected heart attack have emerged from those who were with him at a conference in North Macedonia - and a memorial event has been held there.
And a Conservative MP has called for the Foreign Office to help in repatriating Salmond's body, although there are no details yet on when that might take place or whether the RAF will be be involved.
Thank you for joining us. Your writers were Craig Hutchison, Paul Hastie and Paul O'Hare. Graeme Esson and Callum Watson were the editors.
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Floral tributes to Alex Salmond
published at 15:57 British Summer Time 13 October
15:57 BST 13 October
Floral tributes for Alex Salmond
IMAGE SOURCE,JANE BARLOW PA WIRE
Image caption,
Members of the public place flowers outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh after Alex Salmond died aged 69.
Jane Barlow PA wire
IMAGE SOURCE,JANE BARLOW/PA WIRE
Flowers and flags outside the Scottish Parliament
IMAGE SOURCE,JANE BARLOW/PA WIRE
Image caption,
Tributes left outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh
Floral Tribute
Image caption,
And in Strichen in Aberdeenshire people have also left floral tributes near Salmond's home
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Foreign Secretary asked to send RAF to bring Salmond's body home
published at 15:45 British Summer Time 13 October
15:45 BST 13 October
The Foreign Secretary has been asked to assist with bringing Alex Salmond's body back to the UK - which could involve the use of an RAF aircraft.
Former Tory minister Sir David Davis, a friend of Salmond, said he had contacted David Lammy about his repatriation.
Davis says it must happen as quickly as possible and the RAF should be involved.
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MacAskill: Those who were with Salmond were 'deeply distressed'
published at 15:32 British Summer Time 13 October
15:32 BST 13 October
Kenny MacAskill
Acting Alba leader Kenny MacAskill heard the news when he took a call from people who were with Salmond in North Macedonia.
He told BBC Scotland News: "They were deeply distressed."
Mr MacAskill, who has known Salmond for 60 years as they grew up in the same town, says his death has been "a matter of profound sadness".
He also recalls how Salmond encouraged him to join the SNP in the 1970s at a time when independence seemed like an aspiration for "cranks and dreamers".
And the former East Lothian MP says Alba, the pro-independence party Salmond founded in 2021, has been left "bereft".
On his legacy, he Macaskill said: "He bequeathed a huge amount to the Scottish nation. It is not just his family and friends that have lost. Scotland has lost."
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Alex Salmond death - What do we know?
published at 15:19 British Summer Time 13 October
15:19 BST 13 October
Alex Salmond
IMAGE SOURCE,PA MEDIA
Scotland's former First Minister Alex Salmond died suddenly at the age of 69 after becoming ill at an international conference in Ohrid, North Macedonia.
On Friday he had attended meetings at the Academy for Cultural Diplomacy conference and made a speech. He joined more meetings on Saturday morning before collapsing in the afternoon.
Salmond was caught by a fellow delegate as he fell back in his chair after what is thought to have been a massive heart attack.
Eyewitness, event organiser Mark Donfried, ran to to request an ambulance and said by the time he got back Salmond was on the floor and they were trying CPR.
Paramedics failed to resuscitate Salmond. At 15:30 on Saturday it was reported to the Ohrid police department that he had died.
A doctor confirmed Salmond’s death and his body was sent for an autopsy by order of the public prosecutor in North Macedonia.
The conference was cancelled and a memorial event was held on Saturday night, attended by President of North Macedonia Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova.
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North Macedonia statement on Salmond death
published at 15:10 British Summer Time 13 October
15:10 BST 13 October
The Interior Ministry of North Macedonia has issued a statement about Alex Salmond's death on Saturday.
It gives details about the time of his death at 15:30 in Macedonia, which was 14:30 BST in the UK. And also confirms Salmond's body was sent for an autopsy last night. The statement in full:
Quote Message
On October 12, 2024 at 15:30, it was reported to the Ohrid Police Department that during a youth leadership school held at a hotel in Ohrid, participant Alexander Elliot Salmond (69) from Scotland felt unwell and passed away at the scene. A doctor from Emergency Medical Services confirmed the death, and by order of the public prosecutor, the body of the deceased was sent for an autopsy.
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David Davis and Alex Salmond were 'frenemies'
published at 14:52 British Summer Time 13 October
14:52 BST 13 October
Sir David Davis told Radio 4's Broadcasting House he and Alex Salmond were sort of "frenemies", but "very, very close friends".
The Conservative MP explained they entered parliament together in 87 and they skirmished respectfully from day one.
He said Salmond was a "formidable politician" who came much closer to achieving independence than either David Cameron or George Osborne thought possible.
"In a slightly different circumstance he could have been the prime minister of the United Kingdom."
Davis says Salmond was "clever, charismatic and brave" and he says he was due to have dinner with him this evening.
Quote Message
"In a slightly different circumstance he [Alex Salmond] could have been the prime minister of the United Kingdom."
Sir David Davis, Conservative MP for Goole and Pocklington
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Salmond memorial held at North Macedonia conference
published at 14:37 British Summer Time 13 October
14:37 BST 13 October
man at podium
IMAGE SOURCE,OFFICE OF GORDANA SILJANOVSKA-DAVKOVA
President of North Macedonia Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova has offered her “sincere condolences” following Alex Salmond’s death in the country.
Her tribute comes as pictures from the Academy for Cultural Diplomacy conference show tearful delegates at a memorial event held for Salmond last night.
In a statement, Ms Siljanovska-Davkova said: “My thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time. May his soul rest in peace.”
Tearful delegates at conference
IMAGE SOURCE,OFFICE OF GORDANA SILJANOVSKA-DAVKOVA
people stand at chairs
IMAGE SOURCE,OFFICE OF GORDANA SILJANOVSKA-DAVKOVA
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News broke during Scotland's match against Croatia
published at 14:26 British Summer Time 13 October
14:26 BST 13 October
Alex Salmond arriving for Scotland's opening Euro 2024 match against Germany in Munich
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
Salmond was a keen football fan and news of his death broke during Scotland's match against Croatia in Zagreb.
In June the former SNP leader joined the Tartan Army in Munich for the country's opening Euro 2024 game against Germany.
The Scottish Football Association sent its condolences to Salmond's family on Saturday.
Domestically the ex-SNP leader, who was also a horseracing enthusiast, supported Heart of Midlothian.
He is the second former or serving first minister to die during the era of Scottish devolution.
Donald Dewar led the country from the creation of the Scottish Parliament in May 1999 until his death on 11 October 2000.
The Scottish Labour leader died on the day Croatia played Scotland in a World Cup qualifier in Zagreb.
Donald Dewar
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY
Image caption,
Donald Dewar, seen here with the Queen, was Scotland's first first minister.
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Alex had the nation believe in itself - Alba MSP
published at 14:12 British Summer Time 13 October
14:12 BST 13 October
Salmond with Tasmina Ahmed Sheik and Ash Regan
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
Image caption,
Salmond with Alba's Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh and Ash Regan MSP
The Alba party says it “grieves the loss of its leader” after the death of Alex Salmond.
MSP Ash Regan,who defected from the SNP to Alba at Holyrood, says he was a “tour de force in politics, who took us close to independence”.
She wrote on X: “Alex had the nation believe in itself. My thoughts to his family, friends and all those who he inspired to dream.”
Salmond founded the pro-independence party in 2021, three years after resigning from the SNP amid harassment claims and the investigation that followed.
It marked his return to frontline politics and the pursuit of Scottish independence.
Alba said in a statement: “Our thoughts are with Moira, and his family, and those across Scotland mourning the loss of former first minister Alex Salmond.
“The dream he cherished so closely, and came so close to delivering, will never die.”
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Salmond's struggle for relevance led him to 'bad decisions' - Lesley Riddoch
published at 13:58 British Summer Time 13 October
13:58 BST 13 October
The columnist and broadcaster Lesley Riddoch told the BBC's Sunday Show when he resigned as first minister after the referendum "there was nowhere for a large figure like Alex Salmond to go".
The SNP does not send anyone to the House of Lords as it is unelected.
Riddoch says she thinks it was a mistake by Nicola Sturgeon not to give Salmond a "very significant brief".
"He could have been made a kind of ambassador for Scotland across Europe."
"He wasn't given a role and I think that hurt and he was struggling all the time to find relevance."
This led him to make bad decisions like appearing on Kremlin-backed broadcasting channel RT, she said.
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Conference told Salmond died of a 'massive heart attack'
published at 13:48 British Summer Time 13 October
13:48 BST 13 October
Salmond with conference delegates in Macedonia
IMAGE SOURCE,ACADEMY FOR CULTURAL DIPLOMACY
Image caption,
Salmond with conference delegates in Macedonia
Organisers of the conference in North Macedonia where Alex Salmond died said they were told on Saturday night that it was "an immediate massive heart attack".
Mark Donfried of the Academy for Cultural Diplomacy told the BBC that Salmond was caught by a fellow delegate as he fell backwards in his chair.
The event was cancelled as paramedics tried to resuscitate Salmond.
"The entire conference was in shock," Donafried says.
"The good news is he didn't suffer. I don't think he felt any pain."
Read more here
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Analysis
He loved the cut and thrust of politics - as well as the intrigue
published at 13:39 British Summer Time 13 October
13:39 BST 13 October
James Cook
Scotland editor
Alex Salmond joined the SNP at a time of relative success in the 1970s, but the party and the independence movement were still shadows of what they would become under his leadership.
He modernised and professionalised the SNP, ensuring its machinery was overhauled and its message was polished until it glinted like granite in the sun.
He loved the cut and thrust of Westminster politics - as well as the intrigue - and he could wield words with the best of them.
Salmond's interviews, his speeches and his contributions in the House of Commons and the Scottish Parliament were strewn with shrewd and highly quotable little nuggets - politics boiled down to their essence.
Those nuggets would often be accompanied with a historical reference, a poetic flourish or both.
Read more from James here: The political legacy of Alex Salmond
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Former Tory minister vows to fight for 'justice' for Alex Salmond
published at 13:27 British Summer Time 13 October
13:27 BST 13 October
David Davis
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
Image caption,
David Davis was a minister in the Conservative government
The tributes to Alex Salmond keep coming in from across the political spectrum.
Former Conservative minister David Davis describes Salmond as "one of the great politicians of his age" and "his friend".
After quitting as first minister, Salmond had a spectacular fallout with Nicola Sturgeon over her government’s mishandling of harassment complaints against him.
In 2019 Salmond won a judicial review, ruling the investigation was unlawful, unfair and "tainted by apparent bias".
The following year Salmond faced a criminal trial where he was charged with serious sexual offences but he was acquitted on a majority verdict..
Writing in the Mail on Sunday, external Davis says the death of the former first minister came a day before he was due to meet him "to discuss the next round in dealing with both the Scottish government’s malevolent actions against him and the failure of the rule of law in Scotland".
"I will, in his memory, continue the battle to ensure that justice is done."
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Analysis
Tribute from King Charles 'feels significant'
published at 13:16 British Summer Time 13 October
13:16 BST 13 October
Glenn Campbell
BBC Scotland Political Editor
It is not every political veteran that receives a tribute from the monarch upon news of their death.
That Alex Salmond’s “devotion to Scotland” has been praised by King Charles feels significant.
Maybe there is a protocol somewhere that requires the service of former first ministers to receive royal recognition and that it so happens Mr Salmond is the first politician in this position to pass.
There is a bit of a back story too.
As Prince of Wales, Charles took the trouble to meet and talk privately with Mr Salmond in 1997 as the prospect of a Scottish Parliament drew closer.
That appeared to give the then SNP leader and his politics an additional credibility they had not previously enjoyed.
It seems to me that engagement was rewarded when Alex Salmond took office as first minister a decade later.
He was quick to commit public funds to the purchase of Dumfries House - a cause Prince Charles championed.
At that time and through the 2014 referendum, Alex Salmond argued for the continuation of the monarchy in an independent Scotland.
It is only in the last few years, as leader of the Alba party, that he adopted a republican position, claiming no personal animus towards the current King.
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Delegates held a prayer for Salmond after his death
published at 13:07 British Summer Time 13 October
13:07 BST 13 October
Alex Salmond was a role model and an inspiration to young delagates at the conference in North Macediona where he died, says organiser Mark Donfried.
Donfried, director at the Academy for Cultural Diplomacy, says Salmond was an active member of the organisation.
"Most of the participants here were young leaders and none of them had ever experienced anything like this.
"I think there was a feeling of shock, a feeling of loss and of not really knowing what to do."
Donfried told the BBC he later led a prayer at the event.
"That was important for us all, to have a moment to come together and pause in the honour of Alex."
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Salmond in 'best of spirits' before his collapse - conference organiser
published at 12:54 British Summer Time 13 October
12:54 BST 13 October
salond at conference
IMAGE SOURCE,ACADEMY FOR CULTURAL DIPLOMACY
Mark Donfried of the Academy for Cultural Diplomacy says Salmond delivered a speech at the conference in North Macedonia on Friday and "everything was excellent".
He says: "He was really in the best of health, the best of spirits."
But during lunch on Saturday, after the morning session, Salmond became ill and lost consciousness at the table.
Mr Donfried ran to the venue reception to request an ambulance.
He added: "By the time I came back he was on the floor and they were trying CPR."
When paramedics arrived he said Salmond was alive, but there was nothing that could be done to save him.
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Salmond 'the biggest figure in 25 years' - Curtice
published at 12:43 British Summer Time 13 October
12:43 BST 13 October
Prof Sir John Curtice
Image caption,
Prof Sir John Curtice
Sir John Curtice, who is professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde tells the Sunday Show: "There is no doubt Alex Salmond is the biggest figure in the 25 years of devolved politics in Scotland."
The psephologist points out in 2007 the SNP under Salmond won by just one seat and in 2011 they achieved a majority "despite the proportional electoral system" designed to prevent this happening.
He argues those pushing for independence in the referendum in 2014 had the better campaign despite losing with 45%.
That figure of 45% supporting independence remains in the forefront of Scottish politics ever since.
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Salmond was caught by delegate as he collapsed at lunch
published at 12:33 British Summer Time 13 October
12:33 BST 13 October
Media caption,
'Shock' over Salmond's death - North Macedonia event organiser
A youth conference organiser who witnessed Alex Salmond collapse at a leadership event in North Macedonia said "time stopped" as attendees reacted with shock.
Mark Donfried of the Academy for Cultural Diplomacy said the former first minister was caught by a fellow delegate as he fell backwards at a lunch event.
Speaking from the city of Ohrid, Mr Donfried said the event was cancelled as paramedics tried in vain to resuscitate Salmond.
"We are all still in a state of shock and that is not something we can easily move forward from."
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I don’t think anyone could ever doubt he loved Scotland - Lord McConnell
published at 12:19 British Summer Time 13 October
12:19 BST 13 October
McConnell and Salmond
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
Lord Jack McConnell says Alex Salmond was a "formidable opponent" for Labour at Holyrood.
Salmond succeded him as first minister when the SNP came to power in Scotland in 2007.
Reflecting on their election battle, McConnell tells BBC Scotland's Sunday Show: “I’m happier to remember the campaign than the result.
He says: "The seeds of the result had been laid over the previous years.
"Salmond had taken a fringe party, and transformed it into a campaign machine and a potential government. He rode that wave into government."
While the 2007 result was "not a happy one" for McConnell, he paid tribute to his former rival.
"He was a formidable opponent, he was often controversial, but I don’t think anyone could ever have doubted that he loved Scotland."
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