Alex Salmond death: King Charles and Succession star Brian Cox pay tribute – as details of last moments emerge
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.
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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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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”.
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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”.
Brian Cox paid tribute to Mr Salmond
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.
A memorial service for Alex Salmond was held in North Macedonia
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.
Sir Keir Starmer has joined other European leaders in Kyiv to press Russia to agree an unconditional 30-day ceasefire.
The prime minister is attending the summit alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, recently-elected German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
It is the first time the leaders of the four countries have travelled to Ukraine at the same time – arriving in the capital by train – with their meeting hosted by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Sir Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz travelling in the saloon car of a special train to Kyiv. Pic: Reuters
Leaders arrive in Kyiv by train. Pic: PA
It comes after Donald Trump called for “ideally” a 30-day ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow, and warned that if any pause in the fighting is not respected “the US and its partners will impose further sanctions”.
Security and defence analyst Michael Clarke told Sky News presenter Samantha Washington the European leaders are “rowing in behind” the US president, who referred to his “European allies” for the first time in this context in a post on his Truth Social platform.
“So this meeting is all about heaping pressure on the Russians to go along with the American proposal,” he said.
“It’s the closest the Europeans and the US have been for about three months on this issue.”
Sir Keir Starmer, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron among world leaders in Kyiv. Pic: AP
Trump calls for ceasefire. Pic: Truth Social
Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine and its allies are ready for a “full, unconditional ceasefire” for at least 30 days starting on Monday.
Ahead of the meeting on Saturday, Sir Keir, Mr Macron, Mr Tusk and Mr Merz released a joint statement.
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The hope is Russia’s unilateral ceasefire, such as it’s worth, can be extended for a month to give peace a chance.
But ahead of the meeting, Ukrainian sources told Sky News they are still waiting for President Donald Trump to put his full weight behind the idea.
The US leader has said a 30-day ceasefire would be ideal, but has shown no willingness yet for putting pressure on Russian president Vladimir Putin to agree.
The Russians say a ceasefire can only come after a peace deal can be reached.
European allies are still putting their hopes in a negotiated end to the war despite Moscow’s intransigence and President Trump’s apparent one-sided approach favouring Russia.
Ukrainians would prefer to be given enough economic and military support to secure victory.
But in over three years, despite its massive economic superiority to Russia and its access to more advanced military technology, Europe has not found the political will to give Kyiv the means to win.
Until they do, Vladimir Putin may decide it is still worth pursuing this war despite its massive cost in men and materiel on both sides.
“We reiterate our backing for President Trump’s calls for a peace deal and call on Russia to stop obstructing efforts to secure an enduring peace,” they said.
“Alongside the US, we call on Russia to agree a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire to create the space for talks on a just and lasting peace.”
Sir Keir and Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting in March. Pic: AP
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The leaders said they were “ready to support peace talks as soon as possible”.
But they warned that they would continue to “ratchet up pressure on Russia’s war machine” until Moscow agrees to a lasting ceasefire.
“We are clear the bloodshed must end, Russia must stop its illegal invasion, and Ukraine must be able to prosper as a safe, secure and sovereign nation within its internationally recognised borders for generations to come,” their statement added.
“We will continue to increase our support for Ukraine.”
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The European leaders are set to visit the Maidan, a central square in Ukraine’s capital where flags represent those who died in the war.
They are also expected to host a virtual meeting for other leaders in the “coalition of the willing” to update them on progress towards a peacekeeping force.
Military officers from around 30 countries have been involved in drawing up plans for a coalition, which would provide a peacekeeping force in the event of a ceasefire being agreed between Russia and Ukraine.
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This force “would help regenerate Ukraine’s armed forces after any peace deal and strengthen confidence in any future peace”, according to Number 10.
A special constable has been jailed after taking pictures on his phone from bodycam footage showing a dying man.
Former police volunteer William Heggs, 23, was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment at Leicester Crown Court on Friday after showing the photos of victim William Harty, 28, to a female colleague and storing them on his Snapchat account.
Mr Harty was found seriously injured in a residential street in Leicester on 25 October 2021 and Heggs had attended the scene, helping with CPR before paramedics arrived.
Mr Harty died in hospital a day later and the man responsible for his injuries, his brother-in-law Martin Casey, was subsequently convicted of his manslaughter.
Heggs showed the pictures he had taken of bodycam footage of Mr Harty’s body to a Leicestershire Police constable, who reported Heggs and said she did not like seeing blood.
His phone was seized and officers discovered other photographs and video clips of bodyworn footage of incidents Heggs had attended on duty, including of a knife seizure, use of baton and pepper spray, and a man with an injured hand receiving first aid.
He also took pictures of a police computer screen, showing details of crimes and suspects, without consent.
Heggs stored the materials in a Snapchat folder and disclosed graphic details – most of which were not in the public domain – about the injuries to a woman who was killed in a road traffic collision he had attended, to a friend on the social media platform.
Heggs was suspended from the force in November 2021 and resigned in October 2024 before pleading guilty to 11 computer misuse and data protection offences this March.
William Harty’s widow Mandy Casey. Pic: PA
‘He has traumatised me’
Mr Harty’s widow, Mandy Casey, said in a victim impact statement read to the court that Heggs “took (her) husband’s dignity when he was most vulnerable”.
“You don’t take someone’s dignity and pride from them on their deathbed.”
She continued: “When I found out special constable Heggs had done this, I just wanted to ask why. He has traumatised me. I feel I will never know if he showed them to others.”
Ms Casey said she was still scared that photos of her husband’s body might appear on social media.
She added that she had lost trust in the police.
Public trust in police ‘significantly undermined’
Judge Timothy Spencer told Heggs, who has autism and ADHD, that he was “probably too immature to be working as a police officer” as he handed down the sentence.
He said Heggs had received “extensive training”, including on the importance of data protection, and knew he should only share materials for “a genuine policing purpose”.
Heggs’s actions had “significantly undermined” public trust and confidence in police, according to the judge.
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Malcolm McHaffie, from the Crown Prosecution Service, added: “William Heggs abused the public’s trust in the office he held as a special police constable.
“He violated the dignity of the deceased victims for no apparent reason other than what could be considered personal fascination and to gain credibility among his peers.”
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