Scotland’s first minister has described Alex Salmond as a “hugely important” figure in Scottish and UK politics – joining the King and Succession star Brian Cox in paying tribute following his sudden death.
John Swinney praised the former Scottish leader’s work as an MSP, telling Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips: “He made a colossal contribution to Scottish politics.”
Mr Salmond died on Saturday afternoon aged 69 from a suspected heart attack during a trip to North Macedonia.
Mr Swinney credited Mr Salmond for taking the Scottish National Party from the “fringes of Scottish politics to becoming the government of Scotland” and taking the country “incredibly close” to independence with the 2014 referendum.
Quizzed on why he thought Mr Salmond was so successful, the SNP leader said: “[He had an] absolute determination to succeed in his politics.
“There was a bringing together of people to make sure that we were successful in our politics. So there was real drive and energy right at the heart of it.
“The second thing was his sense of strategic perspective, which was important in identifying how you went from one situation to another and how you built up through those strategic decisions.”
Mr Swinney said Mr Salmond was a “hugely important and significant and influential figure in Scottish and United Kingdom politics”.
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10:15
Alex Salmond had a ‘huge impact’
In a message issued by Buckingham Palace, the King said he and the Queen were “greatly saddened” to hear of Mr Salmond’s “sudden death”.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told Trevor Phillips that Mr Salmond was “an incredibly big figure in Scottish and UK politics and a formidable campaigner to be on the other side from as a unionist”.
Shadow work and pensions secretary Mel Stride described Mr Salmond as “a man who was good to have a chat with and to be around”.
He said the former Scottish leader was “a very consequential politician”, adding: “Whilst I fundamentally disagree what he stood for, nonetheless though, they were very significant challenges.”
Former British prime minister Sir Tony Blair added: “Whatever our disagreements, he was a huge figure in Scottish and UK politics and was clearly dedicated to Scotland and its people.”
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Salmond speaks day before death
Scottish actor Brian Cox – the star of drama series Succession – described Mr Salmond as “one of the greatest political thinkers” the British Isles ever produced.
He said Mr Salmond “pleaded the cause” of Scottish independence with “great humanity and great understanding”.
In Ohrid, North Macedonia, a memorial service was held for Mr Salmond attended by President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova.
The former first minister was in the country to attend and speak at the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy Forum. He is understood to have collapsed at lunch in a crowded room after his speech.
Mark Donfried, director of the Academy for Cultural Diplomacy, was at the conference and said Mr Salmond seemed in the “best of spirits” during the meal.
“All of a sudden he just went out and fell into the arms of a colleague of mine on the other side of the table,” he said.
“I immediately got up and ran to call an ambulance and when I came back, he was on the floor.
“We’re all completely shocked – the entire hotel, the conference, it’s been very difficult for all of us. Last night, we had a brief moment of reflection on his legacy.”
Mr Salmond served as first minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014 and was leader of the SNP on two occasions, from 1990 to 2000 and from 2004 to 2014.
He resigned as first minister after the 2014 Scottish independence referendum resulted in a 55% to 45% vote to stay in the UK.
He launched his rival Scottish independence party, Alba, in 2021 after his relationship with his successor Nicola Sturgeon fractured.
A large part of Gatwick Airport’s South Terminal has been evacuated after a “suspected prohibited item” was discovered in luggage and a bomb disposal team has been deployed, police said.
Sussex Police said the explosive ordnance disposal team was being sent in “as a precaution” and a security cordon is in place.
The airport, which is the UK’s second busiest, said the terminal was evacuated after a “security incident”.
In a post on X, it said: “Safety and security of our passengers and staff remains our top priority.
“We are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”
It said the North Terminal was still operating normally.
Footage on social media taken outside the airport showed crowds of travellers heading away from the terminal building.
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“Arrived at London Gatwick for routine connection. Got through customs to find out they’re evacuating the entire airport,” one passenger said.
“Even people through security are being taken outside. Trains shut down and 1,000s all over the streets and carparks waiting.”
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Another said passengers near the gates were being told to stay there and not go back to the departure lounge.
Gatwick Express said its trains were not calling at Gatwick Airport.
“Gatwick Airport will not be served until further notice,” it tweeted.
“This is due to the police and emergency services dealing with an incident at the airport.
“At present, the station and airport are being evacuated whilst the police are dealing with an incident. We would recommend delaying your journey until later this morning.”
It said local buses were also affected and would be unable to run to the airport.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Hundreds of people affected by the Manchester Arena bombing cannot continue legal action against MI5, judges have ruled.
More than 300 people, including survivors and those bereaved by the 2017 attack at an Ariana Grande concert, brought a case to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT), claiming failures to take “appropriate measures” to prevent the incident infringed their human rights.
In a ruling on Friday, Lord Justice Singh and Mrs Justice Farbey said the cases could not proceed as they were brought too late.
Lord Justice Singh said: “We are particularly conscious of the importance of the rights concerned… We are also conscious of the horrendous impact of the atrocity on the claimants and their families.
“Any reasonable person would have sympathy for them.
“The grief and trauma which they have suffered, particularly where young children were killed, is almost unimaginable.
“Nevertheless, we have reached the conclusion that, in all the circumstances, it would not be equitable to permit the claims to proceed.”
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Lord Justice Singh acknowledged that while the tribunal “readily understand” why the legal claims were not filed until after the final report from the inquiry into the attack, “real expedition” was needed at that point.
The judge added: “We bear in mind the other matters that had to be investigated and arrangements which had to be put in place but, in our view, the filing of the proceedings was not given the priority which, assessed objectively, it should have been.”
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Had the claims gone ahead, the judge noted the security services would have needed to “divert time and resources to defending these proceedings rather than their core responsibilities” – which includes preventing future attacks.
Salman Abedi killed 22 people and injured hundreds when he detonated a rucksack bomb at the end of an Ariana Grande show at Manchester Arena on 22 May 2017.
Hudgell Solicitors, Slater & Gordon and Broudie Jackson Canter, three of the law firms representing complainants affected, said the ruling was “extremely disappointing” for their clients.
In a statement, the firms said: “Ever since the attack in May 2017, our clients have had to endure continued delays but have done so with great patience and understanding in the hope that by allowing all legal processes to be fully explored, transparency and justice would be achieved.
“It took almost six years for the failings of MI5 to be revealed, confirmed when the inquiry chair published his volume three findings in March 2023, in which he said MI5 had missed a ‘significant opportunity’ to prevent the attack.
“This report concluded that within this six-year period, the security service corporate witnesses X and J gave evidence on oath that had presented an inaccurate picture, and the same inaccurate picture had been presented to Lord Anderson when he compiled his report in December 2017.”
The law firms said following these findings, their clients believed the IPT would “provide the route to the formal vindication of their human rights”.
The firms added: “We are disappointed that time is one of the reasons now being used against them to prevent their claims progressing. Seven years have now passed since the atrocity in May 2017 – six years of that seven-year delay was caused by MI5.
“This judgment certainly doesn’t exonerate MI5. There were failings by MI5 and multiple other parties leading up to and on the actual evening of 22 May 2017 and collectively we continue to support our clients in their fight for full accountability and justice.”
The inquiry into the bombing found it might have been prevented if MI5 had acted on key intelligence received in the months before the attack.
The agency’s director-general, Ken McCallum, expressed deep regret that such intelligence was not obtained.
Two pieces of information about Abedi were assessed at the time by the security service to not relate to terrorism.
But inquiry chairman Sir John Saunders said, having heard from MI5 witnesses at the hearings, he considered that did not present an “accurate picture”.
Lawyers for those affected previously said the inquiry found there was a “real possibility” that one of the pieces of intelligence could have obtained information which may have led to actions preventing the attack.
And at the hearing earlier this month, Pete Weatherby KC, for those affected, described the IPT claims as “the next step” in vindication for his clients after the inquiry’s findings.
Many areas of Britain faced frosty and icy conditions this morning ahead of the arrival of Storm Bert tomorrow.
The Met Office said it expects the storm to bring “heavy rain, strong winds and disruptive snow to parts of the UK through the weekend” and potentially cause travel disruption and flooding.
Much of the UK experienced temperatures close to freezing last night, the Met Office said, with -6C (21.2F) recorded at Tulloch Bridge in Scotland.
Several yellow warnings for snow and ice were in place across the UK until 10am on Friday, while one covering parts of Scotland will remain in place until midday.
They came ahead of an amber warning for heavy snow and ice in place between 7am and 5pm on Saturday in central parts of Scotland.
The Met Office said 10-20cm of snow was likely on ground above 200m and there could be as much as 20-40cm on hills above 400m.
Several other yellow alerts for wind, rain and snow will also cover much of the UK.
Met Office meteorologist Honor Criswick said: “Through into Friday… snow showers are set to continue mainly around coastal areas though once again still a few feeding inland at times.
“There will also still be plenty of autumnal sunshine. Still feeling cold though, particularly in those brisk winds – once again we’re only looking at highs of around 5C, slightly higher in the southwest around 7C.
“Across the north those temperatures struggling to move past 2-3C.
“As we head into Friday evening, a change is on its way as we introduce Storm Bert moving its way in from the Atlantic. So we’ll see clouds spilling in from the southwest with outbreaks of rain – heavy at times by the time we reach Saturday morning.”
“Heavy” outbreaks of rain are likely throughout Saturday, “falling as snow” at times across parts of England and Scotland, Ms Criswick said.
More than 114 schools were shut in the Highland Council area on Thursday because of snow, almost 40 were shut in Aberdeenshire and 12 were closed in Moray.
In England, 89 schools were shut in Devon, 60 in Cornwall and 18 in Dorset, while in Wales 18 were closed in Denbighshire, 10 in Conwy and two in Wrexham.