Blair and King Charles hail Salmond’s ‘devotion’ to Scotland

Salmond’s former political allies and rivals have been quick to pay tribute – Copyright AFP –

Former UK prime minister Tony Blair on Sunday joined King Charles III among a host of British personalities to pay tribute to former Scotland figurehead Alex Salmond after his sudden death at the age of 69.

“Very sorry to hear the news about Alex Salmond,” Blair said in a statement.

“Whatever our disagreements he was a huge figure in Scottish and UK politics and was clearly dedicated to Scotland and its people.”

Salmond, a figurehead of the independence movement and leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) during two 10-year spells, died on Saturday whilst in North Macedonia.

Salmond, who led Scotland between 2007 and 2014, was taken ill after giving a speech, UK media reported.

His political career was marked by electoral highs, dashed dreams of independence, controversy and frequent fall-outs, including with his former protege Nicola Sturgeon, who succeeded him as Scotland leader.

But supporters and critics recognised him as a politician of consequence and skill, leading to tributes from across the spectrum.

– Charles tribute –

Widely seen as one of Britain’s most shrewd and charismatic politicians of recent times, Salmond turned the SNP from a small party at Westminster into Scotland’s dominant political force.

His combative nature saw his fame spread beyond Britain. A dispute with Donald Trump led the former US president to call him “Mad Alex”.

King Charles III said late Saturday that he was “greatly saddened” by Salmond’s death, adding that “his devotion to Scotland drove his decades of public service.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer called Salmond a “monumental figure of Scottish and UK politics” who “leaves behind a lasting legacy”.

Salmond quit as Scotland’s leader after losing a 2014 independence referendum, and resigned from the SNP in 2018 over allegations of rape and sexual assault.

He was acquitted of all 14 charges made after a trial in 2020 — having already won £500,000 ($653,00) in compensation from the Scottish government over the way it had handled its investigation.

Salmond later became leader of the new pro-independence Alba Party, but it has failed to match the political successes of the SNP.

His former party still called him “a titan of the independence movement.”

Scotland’s current First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney said “Alex worked tirelessly and fought fearlessly for the country that he loved and for her independence.”

Salmond’s electoral high point was Scotland’s devolved parliament’s 2011 election, when the SNP achieved what was previously thought impossible by delivering an outright majority.

The win smashed the two-party system of Labour and the Conservatives, transforming Scottish politics.

It also gave him the political weight to press for a referendum on Scottish independence from the UK, which the then prime minister David Cameron finally granted in 2014.

Scotland voted by 55 percent to 45 percent to remain a part of Britain.

The abuse charges against Salmond generated huge animosity between him and and his successor Sturgeon over how she had handled the allegations.

Sturgeon said she was “shocked and sorry” to hear about Salmond’s death.

“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,” she said.

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