mil minister, nicola sturgeon.hings have taken place in what i would certainly accept is a difficult few years. there was plenty of time to reflect on all of these issues. at this moment, it is undeniable that alex salmond was a significant figure who transformed the politics of scotland and took our country incredibly close to becoming an independent country. and i think in the aftermath of all of that, generations of people in scotland today who believe in scotland today who believe in scottish independence, who believe that is the right way forward for our country, and what is important is that those of us who now take forward that argument have got to make sure that we deliver on that objective. and transform the prospects of scotland as an independent country.- prospects of scotland as an independent country. what will our independent country. what will your abiding — independent country. what will your abiding memory _ independent country. what will your abiding memory be - independent country. what will your

nicola sturgeon once said, nicola sturgeon once said that you were the most important person in my adulthusband and family. well, i'm still as close as you were. yes, well, istill get her advice, of course. of course, we're close friends and colleagues and. but you know, thejob i've got to do, i've got to do asjohn swinney. and that's what i intend to do. and you believe in her? yes. now, another reason you have had difficulties you alluded to at the beginning of this interview is you've got to make cuts. something you don't like doing. you like announcing things that are better in scotland because you give more money to adult social care, for example, or free tuition fees. um, if you can't get this budget that you've got to get through the scottish parliament through, would that be a trigger for an election? it depends on the actions of other political parties that we'll put forward a budget that will be sustainable and that will do an important factor which our budget has to do. it has to live within the resources we've got available. we can't overspend. you know, we've got to live wit

it was called that by people very close to it, between alex salmond and nicola sturgeon, followed, henryigh profile court case. and the obituaries are including all of this, the sort of side of it that we would never have predicted and alex salmond never wanted to be known for. and you can see why some people are sort of saying that some of the tributes to alex salmond, warm and magnanimous as they are, you know, perhaps risk sanitising that element of his political fall from grace. and it undoubtedly was that, um, you know, that is the principal reason, i think, that he's spent the last years of his life estranged from the political party that he took to the brink of independence. um, and, you know, one of the great skills i always think of obituary writers and people who make tv obituaries is, is to present someone's life, warts and all. um, and clearly, that is something that people will be doing about alex salmond over the coming days, because you can't not tell the story of why he ended up, um, you know, on russian state tv and then presenting a tv programme in turkey and, you know,

i must pay tribute to people like nicola sturgeon, there was three people there that was powerful, all politicians. but without alex's leadership to get that over line i don't think we would have necessarily had that referendum and had the victory that had the proportional system that was designed to stop that. without his leadership, i don't think that was possible.— leadership, i don't think that was possible. where does this leave scottish _ was possible. where does this leave scottish politics - was possible. where does this leave scottish politics n - leave scottish politics n particular the alba party, that he left the snp to set up? well, i think, he left the snp to set up? well, ithink, i hope that he left the snp to set up? well, i think, i hope that his untimely death parks a bit more unity in the movement. i'm no longer involved in politics, i hope perhaps people will put away their differences and unite behind that cause. i was in the room when he put the final touches to his resignation speech. he said the dream of independence shall never die. well the dream is not dead a

nicola sturgeon, by thing.a sturgeon, by contrast, when she assumed the mantle of first minister was a much more pragmatic, slightly more softly spoken figure who herself had to resign then he was, has had successive first ministers in place who have just not had that same appeal. you described him as a marmite figure. marmite status is often the best status to have because at the very least you're acknowledged and recognised and respected by your your foes and friends alike. john swinney is an incredibly capable man. i think with time he will prove to be an effective first minister, but he doesn't have a plan to drive independence forward and ambiguous voters. those are who are undecided and those who are not going to support the snp aren't going to change their mind now. it's appealing and encouraging and inspiring. his own support base. and if you remove independence from that, what are you left with? very much the status quo of the minute, which doesn't reflect well as we go into the next round of holyrood

salmond's succcessor as first minister, nicola sturgeon, said he had been her mentor and that "for morehips in uk politics". the alba party founder and former snp leader is thought to have suffered a heart attack during a trip to north macedonia yesterday. earlier, my collague nicky schiller spoke to the first minister of scotland, john swinney, and asked him what he will remember most about alex salmond. he transformed the snp from a party on the fringes of scottish politics to becoming the government of scotland, and then he took our country so incredibly close to scottish independence. i will remember him as a significant figure who transformed our politics and the opportunities for scotland to become an independent country. and at this moment of his untimely death, i express my condolences to his wife and family at this very sad time. what was he like to work with personally? he was a driven individual. he had a very purposeful agenda that he was pursuing, whether that was about getting us to a position where we had greater electoral success, where we could win elections, and we won

alex salmond was replaced by his mentee, nicola sturgeon. here on bbc news. plenty more to come. good afternoon. a lot of dry weather to close out this weekend. we did start the morning with some sunshine in eastern areas but the clouds thickening all the time from the west because these weather fronts will arrive in the south—west of england overnight tonight. with all the cloud around it is going to feel quite chilly for this stage in october, 7—11 c — our the afternoon high. our afternoon high. through the evening that rain arrives, some heavy, maybe the odd rumble of thunder across the south—west and into wales which will drive its way steadily eastwards. we keep some clearer skies further north, particularly eastern scotland, low single figures here perhaps to start monday morning. but on the whole, monday will start off grey and a bit wet, for the early birds across east anglia and south—east england. that drifts away quite quickly. quite a lot of cloud left behind. northern england, northern ireland, scotland seeing the bulk of the su

the former first minister of scotland, nicola sturgeon, said she was shocked and sorry, adding i cannotretend that the events of the past few years, which led to the breakdown of our relationship, did not happen. however, it remains the fact that for many years alex was an incredibly significant figure in my life and we formed one of the most successful partnerships in uk. one of the most successful partnerships in uk . politics. in partnerships in uk. politics. in other news, robert jenrick says he'll make sir. jacob rees—mogg, the chairman of the conservative party, if he triumphs against kemi badenoch in the party leadership contest. as chairman sir jacob, who lost his seat at the general election, would be put in charge of the party's campaigning operations. mr jenrick told gb news this morning that jacob has been a tireless campaigner for the grassroots, and he understands better than anyone the need for party reform. >> we want to have a different way to select candidates, so we end the favoured sons and daughters of the leader being parachuted in. that was a disgrace. i want to s

sexual assault in 2020, and he also fell out with his protege and successor as first minister, nicola sturgeonnt, she said: the former mp and msp died after taking ill the former mp and msp died after taking ill in north macedonia. it is understood he collapsed after giving a speech. alex salmond led the snp to political dominance in scotland and pushed independence to the top of the agenda. an orator, strategist and campaigner whose voice travelled far beyond the boundaries of scotland. lorna gordon, bbc news. 0ur correspondent catriona renton joins us now from our glasgow newsroom. just take us through all the tributes that have been paid since the news broke?— the news broke? well, since that shockin: the news broke? well, since that shocking news — the news broke? well, since that shocking news about _ the news broke? well, since that shocking news about the - the news broke? well, since that shocking news about the sudden | the news broke? well, since that - shocking news about the sudden death of alex salmond, tributes have been coming through, and i think the range reflects the stature

sexual assault in 2020, and he also fell out with his protege and successor as first minister, nicola sturgeonment, she said... the former mp and msp died after being taken ill in north macedonia. it's understood he collapsed after giving a speech. alex salmond led the snp to political dominance in scotland and pushed independence to the top of the agenda. an orator, strategist and campaigner whose voice travelled far beyond the boundaries of scotland. our correspondent catriona rentonjoins us now from our glasgow newsroom. we have already had many tributes paid to alex salmond this morning. tell us how he is being remembered? well, the news of alex salmond �*s sudden death is now starting to sink in and tributes have been in across a range that reflects the stature with which alex salmond was held in scotland, the uk and in public life. the kingdom of course, saying that his devotion to scotland drove his decades of public service. the prime minister, sir keir starmer, saying alex salmond was a monumental figure in the political world. david cameron, who was prime minister at the time of the

sexual assault in 2020 and he also fell out with this protege and successor as first minister, nicola sturgeonhe said... the former mp died after being taken ill in north macedonia. it is understood he collapsed after giving a speech. alex salmond led the snp to political dominance in scotland and pushed independence to the top of the agenda. an oratory, strategist and campaigner whose voice travelled far beyond the boundaries of scotland. former first minister of scotland alex salmond — who has died at the age of 69. to the middle east — where the un peacekeeping mission in southern lebanon, unifil, says a fifth soldier has been wounded — but it's not yet known who is responsible for the fire. the incident took place at the un base in naqoura — near the border between israel and lebanon. four un peacekeepers were wounded in previous incidents, which unifil blamed on israeli forces. meanwhile, lebanon says nine more people have been killed in israeli strikes on two villages to the north and south of beirut — while the israeli military says hezbollah fired dozens of rockets into northern israel

we won that battle, nicola sturgeon has gone and labour now accept our argument —— understood the fight

sexual assault in 2020, and he also fell out with his protege and successor as first minister, nicola sturgeonen ill in north macedonia. it's understood he collapsed after giving a speech. alex salmond led the snp to political dominance in scotland and pushed independence to the top of the agenda. an orator, strategist and campaigner whose voice travelled far beyond the boundaries of scotland. lorna gordon looking back at the life of alex salmond. let's speak now to our scotland correspondent catriona renton tributes continuing to come in this morning for the former first minister?— this morning for the former first minister? that's right. and of course, _ first minister? that's right. and of course, this - first minister? that's right. and of course, this sudden | and of course, this sudden death coming out a huge shock to people across the political spectrum and across public life. people have had time to reflect on the tributes have been coming in. the range reflects the stature with which alex salmond was held in scotland, the uk and beyond. king charles led comments saying, his wife and h

nicola sturgeon, of course mr salmond's...ntor for many years, she told us she couldn't avoid the fact there had been a fracture in their relationship, it would be wrong to. however, that doesn't take away from the fact that he was her mentor for so long and they were very successful partnership in scottish politics and did it in uk politics. those messages coming in thick and fast evening from all across the names of politics in the uk and beyond. mr salmond leaves so much of a legacy behind him. arguably the person provided scotland closest thought it looked like the yes campaign, encompassing all pro—independence forces, had the momentum, in the end it wasn't to be. 45%, the no vote got 55% and at that point mr salmond stood down as leader of the snp but his passion for independence has remained ever since. he founded the first and we understand he was planning on standing for the holyrood elections in 2026 for that pro—independence party. there have been troubles over the last few years, some complaints made about sexual m

sexual assault in 2020, and he also fell out with his protege and successor as first minister, nicola sturgeoneing taken ill in north macedonia. it is understood he collapsed after giving a speech. alex salmond led the snp to political dominance in scotland and pushed independence to the top of the agenda. an orator, strategist and campaigner, whose voice travelled far beyond the boundaries of scotland. the former first minister of scotland alex salmond, who has died at the age of 69. with less than a month to go to the us election, the democratic nominee, vice president kamala harris, has released her detailed medical records. ms harris�* last physical exam was in april. the summary from the vice president's physician says she remains in "excellent health" and that she "possesses the physical and mental resiliency required to seccessfully execute the duties of the presidency". ms harris is seeking to draw a contrast with her republican opponent, donald trump, who has not released extensive records this campaign season. here she is speaking to reporters a short while ago, on her way to a campa

the former first minister of scotland, nicola sturgeon, said a short time ago that she was shocked andadding i cannot pretend that the events of the past few years, which led to the breakdown of our relationship, did not happen. however, alex was an incredibly significant figure in my life and we formed one of the most successful partnerships in uk politics. alba party deputy leader kenny macaskill has said tonight that the party grieves the loss of their founder and leader, describing salmond as the outstanding scottish politician not just of his

certainly from the reactions we have heard today, people talking about mr salmond, we have heard from nicola sturgeonded alex salmond. as first minister. known fortheir alex salmond. as first minister. known for their cause political relationship which fractured irreparably in recent years. allegations of sexual conduct made against mr salmond, whether criminal trial, cleared of all of the charges against him. the relationship never really got back, we would say. she said in a statement on it, i am shocked and sorry to learn of the death of alex salmond, i cannot pretend the events of the last four years which led to the breakdown of a relationship did not happen, it would not be right for me to try. however, it remains the fact that for many years alex was an incredibly significant figure incredibly significant figure in my life, my mentorfor more than a decade we formed one of the most successful partnerships in uk politics. she like so many other sending her condolences to mr salmond's widow mara and his many family and friends. as we learn more about what happened in macedonia today, we will let

it contributed to his falling out with nicola sturgeon, and it also contributed to the way he was viewed falls into two camps — you have people who are die—hard advocates of his who would say about him, his legacy is so important, he's one of the greatest ever, you had joanna cherry saying he was the finest first minister scotland has ever had, and at the same time people will talk about him is a consequential politician who are angry with him for setting up alba, saw him as perhaps a traitor to the cause a traitor to the cause and someone who went off and let the independent movement go on without him. i think it will probably be something along the complicated legacy and the way he's perceived within the independent movement as a whole. that was alexander brown of the scotland clash the scotsman. a month—long strike at the american aircraft maker, boeing, has led the board to cut 17,000 jobs from the payroll, about 10% of its workforce. workers at boeing's main factory in seattle want a 40% pay rise over four years and have overwhelmingly rejected a tentative deal. boeing lost a record

sexual assault in 2020, and he also fell out with his protege and successor as first minister, nicola sturgeoner mp and msp died after being taken ill in north macedonia. it's understood he collapsed after giving a speech. alex salmond led the snp to political dominance in scotland and pushed independence to the top of the agenda. an orator, strategist and campaigner whose voice travelled far beyond the boundaries of scotland. lorna gordon looking back at the life — lorna gordon looking back at the life of alex salmond who has died _ the life of alex salmond who has died at the age of 69. you are with bbc news. let's check on the sport now with hugh ferris at the sports centre. hi. england can take a big step towards the semifinals of the women's t20 world cup later? t20 world cup later. but they'll have to beat rivals scotland in sharjah to do it. scotla nd scotland won the toss and they have had a steady start, six overs gone, no wickets lost, 29 without loss they are in that crucial match, particularly for england at the t20 world cup. england's women have already had a good day in rugby un

sexual assault in 2020, and he also fell out with his protege and successor as first minister, nicola sturgeonunderstood he collapsed after giving a speech. alex salmond led the snp to political dominance in scotland and pushed independence to the top of the agenda. an orator, strategist and campaigner, whose voice travelled far beyond the boundaries of scotland. former first minister of scotland alex salmond, who has died at the age of 69. a genetic study of the remains of the explorer christopher columbus has concluded that he was most likely ofjewish heritage. researchers say the evidence suggests he was a sephardicjew possibly from valencia — and not from genoa in italy, as traditionally thought. it's believed he may have concealed his true identity — or converted to catholicism — to escape religious persecution. and before we go, hundreds of hot air balloons have dotted the skies above new mexico this week for the annual albuquerque international balloon fiesta — said to be the largest in the world. 0rganisers say more than 500 hot air balloons have ascend to the skies. the festival concl

the former first minister of scotland, nicola sturgeon, said it remains the fact that for many yearslex was an incredibly significant figure in my life and we formed one of the most successful partnerships in uk politics. members of the pubucin uk politics. members of the public in scotland have also been reacting to the death. >> his passing is a great shock and i think for most scots , and i think for most scots, whatever their opinions, it's sad. he's a. he was a pillar of the independence movement. >> i think he'll be remembered as the man that nearly got scotland independence. >> well, i nearly got his independence. but you know, nearly, nearly is not good enough. >> i can't believe it, to be honest. you're shocked. i don't even know how he died yet. i'm not sure. i met him years ago when he was trying to be. he was walking in swinton crescent in baillieston and he was handing out leaflets and he played pool. >> he's a good man, a very good man, a very good man. done his best for scotland, you know . best for scotland, you know. >> some breaking news now that police say a man ha

we won that battle, nicola sturgeon has gone and labour now accept our argument —— understood the fightas leading. we are conservatives, elected to conserve what is great about our country. we cannot survive as the left denigrate our history and pull down our monuments. we must not be afraid as we were in batley, we must not be afraid to get involved where a teacher was driven into hiding by islamist thugs or when the very worst crimes were committed, when young girls were groomed and raped four years in rotherham and rochdale, and nothing happened —— for years. rochdale, and nothing happened —— foryears. nothing rochdale, and nothing happened —— for years. nothing happened because those in charge were scared of being called racists, and then the system hid behind the human rights act and failed to deport the child abusers and allowed them to walk the streets where their victims live. well, enough. i am where their victims live. well, enough. iam not where their victims live. well, enough. i am not afraid. this stealthy poisoning of our society needs to stop. the liberal democrats are n

we won that battle, nicola sturgeon has gone and labour now accepts our arguments . labour now accepts our arguments. we are conservatives elected to conserve what is great about our country . thank you . we cannot country. thank you. we cannot sit by as the left denigrates our history and pull down our monuments. we must not be afraid as we were in batley. we must not be afraid to get involved. where a teacher was driven into hiding by islamist thugs , or hiding by islamist thugs, or when the very worst crimes were committed, when young girls were groomed and raped for years in rotherham and rochdale and nothing happened . and nothing nothing happened. and nothing happened because those in charge were scared of being called racists. and then the system hid behind the human rights act and failed to deport the child abusers and allowed them to walk the streets where their victims live well enough . i am not live well enough. i am not afraid . afraid. of this stealthy poisoning of our society needs to stop . and let's face it, the to stop. and let's face it, the libera

she was reportedly working very hard behind the scenes to prevent alister jack vetoing nicola sturgeon'ssuccessfully. so it's not a role in which she can do no damage. it's not some sort of sinecure or technical quango. this is something potentially where sue gray could cause quite a lot of trouble. and i think it's going to be interesting to see how northern irish unionists, especially react to having her as the prime minister's official representative to them. >> because it's quite concerning, isn't it? because even though, as you said, it's a sign, it feels like a sidestep . sign, it feels like a sidestep. i'm wondering, will she get the same amount of money? do we know whether she's still going to stick on her 170 k at 3000 more than the prime minister ? than the prime minister? >> i we don't know that. of course, there are actually quite a lot of people in government who are paid more than the prime minister, because the fact that the prime minister , ministers the prime minister, ministers and mps salaries are so much more heavily scrutinised than salaries in the civil service, mea

but all the same, i think nicola sturgeon is one of the few people to have actually mentioned. the more recent incidents. i think most people have just been focusing on alex salmond's influence in british politics when they when they have given their tributes today. >> i mean, the fallout was significant enough, of course, that he went and set up his own party to sort of challenge the snp, the alba party. and where does this leave? i mean, it is the alba party bigger than alex salmond now, or does it go with him? >> yeah, that remains to be seen. certainly the alba party has has not taken off in the way that alex salmond hoped that it would. he's talked about remembering the 2021 scottish parliament elections. he was talking about alba helping to secure a pro—independence super majority and that that didn't happen. they've they've they've not managed to get mps elected at westminster or msps at holyrood. so there has been disappointment in their election campaigns. however , i mean, just campaigns. however, i mean, just to show how much of a shock yesterday was, i mean, alex sa

nicola sturgeon. that's probably the only nice thing, she's said about him in the last 20 years.n, she, you know, was pretty. she she was part of the reason he got booted out of the booted out of the party. but yeah, alex solomon i mean, he had a huge impact on, on scotland and scottish politics, not all of it positive. i mean he really brought scottish nationalism into the mainstream. i remember when i was a kid growing up, scottish nationalism, it was all these like weirdos who, you know, hated the english. and turns out we've got loads of them and they'd all vote for this party. and he was out in north macedonia , which, ironically, is macedonia, which, ironically, is part of the balkans. and, you know, we could see britain balkanised into these, into these areas based on nationalism, you know, wales, cornwall , scotland, getting cornwall, scotland, getting their own areas and also by religion. i think we've seen a couple of generations we're going to have muslim areas and then the rest of england. >> yeah, it was a massive figure in british politics. people talked about his c

the former first minister of scotland, nicola sturgeon, said she was shocked and sorry , adding i cannotnd sorry, adding i cannot pretend that the events of the past few years, which led to the breakdown of our relationship, did not happen. however, it remains the fact that for many years alex was an incredibly significant figure in my life and we formed one of the most successful partnerships in uk politics. in other news, jonathan reynolds says it's not the government's position that p&o ferries is a rogue operator, despite a press release this week calling them a rogue employer . p&o ferries owner dp employer. p&o ferries owner dp world will attend the international investment summit tomorrow. they'd previously threatened to pull out of that event, and a £1 billion port investment. that's after the transport secretary, louise haigh, criticised their employment strategy and called for a boycott. sir keir starmer says miss hague's call for that boycott of the ferry firm was not the view of the government. the operator was criticised by politicians from both main parties in march 2022, w

his deputy, nicola sturgeon, then succeeded him in both of those roles. his time in office, marked by significant political achievements , controversial achievements, controversial decisions and what some would regard as a relentless pursuit of scottish independence . well, of scottish independence. well, that loss is as expected, being felt across the political landscape. we've had some statements on social media. first here you can see from the scottish labour leader anas sarwar he has paid tribute to salmond, describing him as a central figure of politics for over three decades. former prime minister rishi sunak also posting in just the last few minutes , saying alex salmond was minutes, saying alex salmond was a huge figure in politics. he says while i disagreed with him on the constitutional question, there was no denying his skill in debate or his passion for politics. may he rest in peace and i'm just reading here a statement in from the prime minister. also sir keir starmer saying that for more than 30 years alex salmond was a monumental figure of

you said, the tributes have been pounng said, the tributes have been pouring in, not least from nicola sturgeonold mentee, who had said that he was my mentor. and for more than a decade we formed one of the most successful partnerships in uk politics with king charles also saying his devotion to scotland drove his decades of public service and in fact even boris johnson had something to say. he had said that alex salmond was one of the greatest political disruptors of the age, and the father of modern scottish nationalism. so you do get a sense of, irrespective of whether people believed in the same political beliefs as him, they respected that for , you they respected that for, you know, 51 years ago he joined the snp with a singular goal to make scotland independent. he failed that, of course, ten years ago, but in that last ten years he didn't just put down tools, he very much started up alba and sought to do that all over again, to take that independence movement forward and quite uncertain. obviously at this point, obviously, all the thoughts and well wishes are with his family, but some p

the former first minister of scotland, nicola sturgeon, said a short time ago that she was shocked and sorry to learn of salmond's death, adding i cannot pretend that the events of the past few years, which led to the breakdown of our relationship, did not happen. however, it remains the fact that for many years alex was an incredibly significant figure in my life and we formed one of the most successful partnerships in uk politics. alba party deputy leader kenny macaskill has also said that the party grieves the loss of their founder and leader, describing salmond as the outstanding scottish politician not just of his generation but for generations. far before . and generations. far before. and scotland's first minister and the leader of the snp , john the leader of the snp, john swinney, has said tonight that salmon worked tirelessly and fought fearlessly for the country, that he loved and for her independence . in other news her independence. in other news tonight, 100 days in and sir keir starmer admits it has not been smooth sailing. in a video posted on social media, the prime mi

his deputy, nicola sturgeon succeeded him in both of those roles . tributes both of those roles. tributes are being paid across the political landscape this evening to salmon and a short while ago, scotland's first minister and the leader of the snp, john swinney, has said that he is deeply shocked and saddened at the untimely death of the former first minister, adding that alex made an enormous contribution to political life where he worked tirelessly and fought fearlessly for the country that he loved and for her independence . the and for her independence. the leader of the scottish conservatives, russell findlay , conservatives, russell findlay, has also just released a statement saying salmon will be remembered as a formidable and impressive politician who made a lasting impact on our country. prime minister sir keir starmer has said alex salmond was a monumental figure of scottish and uk politics. he leaves behind a lasting legacy. he cared deeply about scotland's heritage, history and culture and the prime minister added on behalf of the uk government, he offers condolence

even nicola sturgeon, his his former mentor and eventually his replacement , and eventually his replacementwho had said that he was my mentor and far more than a decade we formed one of the most successful parties partnerships in scottish politics. so yes, irrespective of political views or allegiances, you know , his or allegiances, you know, his his efforts and his impact on the longstanding landscape of scottish politics, very , very scottish politics, very, very few could even come close and tony, it must be such a shock to the people of scotland, not only because of his age, only 69, but still very politically active with the alba party. >> and speaking, as you say, in nonh >> and speaking, as you say, in north macedonia just yesterday . north macedonia just yesterday. >> yeah, that's correct. certainly he was, you know, in 2021, he sorry just before the after his two year court case essentially of course he was charged with those counts of sexual misconduct and after being found not guilty of those cases, he decided that his time was not done in politics. and just as early as june, he

legacy has been slightly overshadowed in recent years by the falling out with his former protege, nicola sturgeoncceeded him as first minister and then subsequent to that he was cleared of sexual assault charges in a criminal court, but the fact remains that his political legacy here in scotland is immense. he never saw independence achieved in his lifetime, but his supporters say, and this is a well known by alex salmond, that that dream will never die. i'm at right now we can see the hosts moving closer to that privately chartered plane so talk us through what is happening there on the ground. members of alex salmond's family are there to greet the coffin that will be removed from that privately chartered plane, that plane chartered by the scottish businessman sir tom hunter, alongside them are members of the alba party and family friends and his family have commented this week and said that mr salmond was a devoted and loving husband and a fiercely loyal brother and a proud and portable uncle and a faithful and trusted friend and they said they were incredibly grateful for the support they had

the two of you together, l as well as the two of you together, the picture of alex salmond and nicola sturgeonat impact did that have on him? was it something he felt regret over? it something he felt regret over? it was a tough few years for that relationship, beyond 2015. i think what is important is to reflect on how successful that partnership was, inter 2007, 2011, 2014. it was a formidable partnership that achieved incredible things for scotland. alex salmond, i think it is fair to say, was such a political animal that he was such a political animal that he was never going to disappear from front—line politics, he was not going to put slippers on and find a cushyjob as a non—executive director on a boardroom somewhere, and disappearfrom the director on a boardroom somewhere, and disappear from the limelight. thatjust and disappear from the limelight. that just wasn't him. and disappear from the limelight. thatjust wasn't him. he lived and breathed politics. he was i was passionate about scotland's future. that is why he remained on the front line of text, never far from the tv studio, ne

sexual assault in 2020, and he also fell out with his protege and successor as first minister, nicola sturgeon that the events of the past few years which led to the breakdown of our relationship did not happen, however, it remains the fact that for many years alex was an incredibly significant figure in my life. he was my mental, and for more than a decade we formed one of the most successful partnerships in uk politics". —— mentor. formerand msp died ill after —— died after taking yuel in north macedonia. it is understood he collapsed after giving a speech. alex salmond led the snp to political dominance in scotland and pushed independence to the top of the agenda. an aura tour, strategist and campaigner whose voice travelled far beyond the boundaries of scotland. —— an orator. our correspondent catriona renton joins us now from our glasgow newsroom. catriona, there's been a lot of tributes paid since the news broke. that's right. tributes have been coming in, and i think the range reflects the stature that alex salmond held in scotland, uk and beyond, among some of those tributes, king char

during a high profile trial that he did "behave badly" — as well as the bitterest fallout with nicola sturgeonister and snp leader. thank you for your time today. i know it is a difficult weekend for plenty of people in the snp. for everyone watching, first minister, who had seen him on tv but had never met him, what was who h