Alex Salmond, the former first minister of Scotland who for decades championed Scotland's independence from the United Kingdom, has died. He was 69. Anas Sarwar, leader of Scottish Labour, on Saturday confirmed Salmond's death and said Salmond was a "central figure in politics for over three decades."
Salmond, as then leader of the Scottish National Party, led the independence campaign in the referendum in 2014, but lost, gaining 45% of the vote. Salmond resigned from the SNP in 2018 in the wake of sexual harassment allegations, He subsequently formed a new party, called Alba.
Salmond served as first minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014, and was leader of the Scottish National Party on two occasions, from 1990 to 2000, and from 2004 to 2014.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer paid tribute to Salmond, calling him a "monumental figure" of both Scottish and British politics. "He leaves behind a lasting legacy," Starmer said. "As first minister of Scotland, he cared deeply about Scotland's heritage, history and culture, as well as the communities he represented."
The current SNP first minister, John Swinney, said that he was "deeply shocked and saddened at the untimely death" of Salmond. "Over many years, Alex made an enormous contribution to political life, not just within Scotland, but across the UK and beyond," he 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."
"Alex and I obviously had our differences in the last few years, but there's no doubt about the enormous contribution he made to Scottish & UK politics. My condolences to his family & friends," SNP politician and former first minister Humza Yousaf wrote on X.