msp, who led the country between 2007 and 2014 during the independence referendum, fell ill while in north macedonia. mr salmond resigned from the snp in 2018 and later formed the pro—independence alban 2021. here he is speaking back in 2014 after the defeat of that referendum. scotland has by majority decided not at this stage to become an independent country. i accept that verdict of the people, and i call on all of scotland to follow suit in accepting the democratic verdict of the people of scotland. in a statement, his party hailed the former minister's leadership, who brought the snp into the mainstream and the scottish government. saying he was a titan of the independence movement. and the uk prime minister sir keir starmer has released a statement saying — for more than 30 years, alex salmond was a monumental figure in scottish and uk politics... these are the final pictures of alex salmond — taken this weekend in north macedonia, where he was speaking earlier on saturday before he was taken ill. ian blackford who served as leader of the scottish national party in the house of commons from 2017 to 2022 said he was shocked to hear alex salmond had died. i think all of our thou

msp, who led the country between 2007 and 2014 during the independence referendum, fell ill while in north macedonia. mr salmond resigned from the snp in 2018 and later formed the pro—independence albaty in 2021. here he is speaking back in 2014 after the defeat of that referendum. scotland has by majority decided not at this stage to become an independent country. and the uk prime minister sir keir starmer has released a statement saying... these are the final pictures of alex salmond — taken this weekend in north macedonia, where he was speaking earlier on saturday before he was taken ill. let's speak to catriona renton, our scotland correspondent. so much shock across the board at the shocking, sad news. find at the shocking, sad news. and in turn shock— at the shocking, sad news. and in turn shock to _ at the shocking, sad news. fific in turn shock to people today, this news, as you said alex salmond was speaking this morning at a conference for the institute for cultural diplomacy in north macedonia, talking about the tenth anniversary of the scottish independence referendum, at a lunch with other leaders this afternoon and then passed away. that is the latest information. as you

doubt that his personal vote in that area would have given him a him a good chance of becoming that alba msp in that area. so for alex salmond, he he had a lot of plans politically and otherwise. and that that really epitomises just how much out of the blue yesterday's shock came, came as. >> michael, good to see you this morning . thanks very much morning. thanks very much indeed. >> it truly was a shock yesterday. i couldn't believe it when it came up on my phone. >> well, i know so well. it's just so unexpected, isn't it? but i tell you what, it goes to think but i tell you what,

they of course have ash regan, who is an msp at holyrood who resigned from the snp and went across to albaither the scottish parliament or westminster they have not yet had success but they have only existed as a party for a few years, they have ambitions to represent constituencies either regionally or on the list at holyrood in the next election here in scotland in two years' time and as you say, kenny macaskill is now the acting leader of alba and he is a former member of parliament for westminster and he has been very emotional about his friend and fellow politician, unexamined's death, and is amongst those here at aberdeen airports welcoming the body and receiving the body back here in scotland. —— alex salmond's death. you see that piper playing a lament, one of alex salmond's favourite songs is that coffin is loaded onto a house ahead of thatjourney through the north—east. and house ahead of that journey through the north-east. and we now have the — through the north-east. and we now have the pictures _ through the north-east. and we now have the pictures they - through the north-ea