Keir Starmer has paid tribute to Alex Salmond during Prime Minister’s Questions.
The Labour PM said that the former first minister was “a monumental figure in Scottish and UK politics”.
Salmond died after suffering a heart attack in North Macedonia on Saturday, where he was attending a conference.
Starmer said in the House of Commons on Wednesday that Salmond “leaves a lasting legacy”.
Both Tory leader Rishi Sunak and Lib Dem leader Ed Davey also paid tribute.
Starmer said: “Alex Salmond was a monumental figure in Scottish and UK politics. He leaves a lasting legacy. And I know that the deepest condolences of the whole house are with Moira, his family, and his loved ones.”
Salmond was First Minister of Scotland between 2007 and 2014. He led the party during the independence referendum, where the Scottish public voted to remain in the UK with 55 per cent of the vote.
He led the SNP for two 10-year spells between 1990 and 2000, and between 2004 and 2014.
Salmond’s body is set to be flown home by a private plane following days of diplomatic wrangling.
Friends and political allies of Salmond have called for the RAF to fly his body home to the north-east of Scotland, but the Record understands this was rejected as he was a private citizen at the time of his death.
Kate Forbes, the Deputy First Minister, has since been working with Scottish Government officials and the UK Foreign Office to find a resolution.
The private plane charter has been organised by the Alba Party – which Salmond had been leading since 2021 – with assistance by Holyrood officials, with a “private individual” covering costs.
Salmond’s family are understood to be planning a private funeral for the former SNP leader, with a larger public memorial service to take place later in the year.
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