Tributes paid to ex-Scottish first minister Alex Salmond
The Guardian Weekly|October 18, 2024
Scotland's first minister John Swinney paid tribute to Alex Salmond's "colossal contribution" to Scottish and UK politics, as allies mourned his sudden death last Saturday, at the age of 69.
Severin Carrell and Libby Brooks
Tributes paid to ex-Scottish first minister Alex Salmond

Swinney said Salmond, a former first minister, had had a huge impact on public life by forging the Scottish National party into a force capable of winning successive elections and then by bringing Scotland "incredibly close" to independence.

"Alex made a colossal contribution to Scottish politics," Swinney said last Sunday, adding that he was guided by "a sense of absolute determination to succeed in his politics".

Despite the deep fracture between Salmond and some in the SNP, which prompted him to resign and set up the rival pro-independence Alba party, SNP activists were asked to pause campaigning in key council byelections as a mark of respect.

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