The shock of Alex Salmond’s death is reverberating around every corner of UK politics
This shock of Alex Salmond’s death is reverberating around every corner of UK politics.
There was not a soul involved in the political life of the past three decades who did not know his name and his achievements.
A Marmite figure, Salmond divided opinion.
But, he was respected as the giant who was instrumental in delivering the 2014 Scottish independence referendum.
‘A monumental figure’ – PM among those paying tribute to former first minister
Even his harshest critics would struggle to play down the fact he delivered a majority government at Holyrood in 2011.
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Former first minister of Scotland Lord McConnell paid tribute to the late Alex Salmond who has died aged 69.
The Scottish parliament is a place set up to avoid one party gaining overall control, but his monumental electoral victory was the catalyst for earning respect from Conservative prime minister David Cameron who ultimately agreed to let Scotland vote on its constitutional future.
Rather than sit in the backseat after his departure from office, Alex Salmond couldn’t shake off the showman inside him.
He basked in the limelight. He thrived on stage at the Edinburgh Fringe and controversially struck a deal to broadcast a programme on Russia Today TV.
His decisions in recent years triggered a bitter falling out with old comrade Nicola Sturgeon and led to splits in the SNP.
It was an extraordinary spat that played out in public – and it still has an impact to this day with staunch nationalists turning their back on the SNP and joining Mr Salmond’s newly created Alba party.
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Former First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond dies
I spoke to the former first minister on the phone in the past month about his hope to air his feelings that “dark forces” were out to bring him down in the Scottish Government around the time of the sexual misconduct allegations.
Salmond was cleared of any criminality by a jury in Edinburgh in 2020.
But, he told me there was unfinished business, with claims of conspiracy to bring him down. Ultimately he believed the “truth would air” one day.
In recent times, he became a thorn in the side of the Scottish Government which he felt failed to push the case for a second independence referendum forcefully enough.
Ever the optimist, the 69-year-old always had a glint in his eye and a story for every occasion.
He would do his infamous chuckle as he regaled tales from his time in office at almost every opportunity someone would listen.
He leaves a giant gap in the future of the independence movement and it is testament to his legacy that figures from across every political colour are paying tribute to someone who was clearly very well respected.
Palestine Action can still challenge the decision to ban the group under anti-terror laws after the government lost an appeal.
The group was “proscribed” in July, making it illegal to show any support or affiliation for it, following incidents that included breaking in to an RAF base.
The Home Office appealed after a court granted the group’s co-founder a judicial review and said the ban disproportionately interfered with freedom of speech and assembly.
A woman is led away by police during Palestine Action protest on 6 September. Pic: PA
It said the government should also have consulted the group first.
Despite the ban, nearly 900 supporters were arrested at a single protest in London last month.
The judicial review of the ban was scheduled to begin on 25 November and Friday’s Court of Appeal decision means it can still go ahead.
Palestine Action called it a “landmark victory” and said co-founder Huda Ammori had also been granted permission to appeal on two further grounds.
Reacting after the court’s decision, Ms Ammori called the ban “absurdly authoritarian” and “one of the most extreme attacks on civil liberties in recent British history”.
She said 2,000 people had been arrested since it was outlawed and arresting “peaceful protesters” under the Terrorism Act was a misuse of resources.
The group’s vandalising of aircraft at Brize Norton in June – with two activists reportedly entering on electric scooters – prompted a security review of UK defence sites.
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Supporters of the group vandalised aircraft at RAF Brize Norton in June
Its supporters have carried out numerous protests in the UK, with many involving vandalism and violence.
Last year, it smashed windows and sprayed red paint on Barclays branches and this summer vandalised a Bristol defence technology firm, allegedly assaulting staff and police.
Multiple rallies for the group have taken place in London since July’s ban, with hundreds detained for showing support.
A protest at the start of this month saw another 492 people arrested despite calls for the event to be scrapped after the Manchester synagogue terror attack.
The King will become the first British monarch to pray publicly with the Pope since the Reformation 500 years ago during a state visit to the Holy See next week.
The King and Queen will meet the new pontiff Pope Leo XIV at the Apostolic Palace, his official residence, next Thursday during their trip to Vatican City.
In a highly significant moment in relations between the Catholic Church and Church of England, of which His Majesty is Supreme Governor, the King and Queen and the Pope will attend a special ecumenical service in the Sistine Chapel celebrating the ongoing work towards unity and cooperation among different Christian churches.
The decision for the King and Pope to pray together during the service will be the first time a monarch and the pontiff have joined together in this type of moment of reflection in the 500 years since the Reformation when, in 1534, King Henry VIII declared himself as head of the Church of England and broke from the papal authority of the Rome Catholic Church.
In another historic step, the King will be made “Royal Confrater” of the Abbey of St Paul’s Outside the Walls.
The abbot of the community and the archpriest of the basilica wished to confer the title and received the Pope’s approval to do so. To mark the occasion a special seat has been made decorated with the King’s coat of arms.
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King and Queen meet Pope Francis at the Vatican
The King will use it during the service, after which it will remain in the apse of the basilica for future use by His Majesty and his heirs and successors.
English Kings had a particular link with The Papal Basilica of St Paul’s Outside the Walls until the Reformation. It is also known as the Papal Basilica where reconciliation, ecumenism and relationships across the Christian faith are celebrated.
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King to pray with Pope
A spokesperson for the Church of England said: “The royal confrater title, whilst it confers no duties or obligations on the King, and makes no changes whatsoever to the formal, constitutional and ecclesiastical position of His Majesty as the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, it is a tribute to his majesty and his own work over many decades to find common ground between faiths and to bring people together.”
The trip comes during the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee year. Held traditionally every 25 years, “Pilgrims of Hope” is the theme of this jubilee.
The King and Queen met the late Pope Francis in April. Pic: Reuters
The visit will also reflect the joint commitment from both Pope Leo and the King to protect nature and their shared concern for the environment. The service at the Sistine Chapel will have the theme of “Care for Creation” and they will attend a meeting on sustainability.
A spokesperson from the Foreign Office said: “At a time of growing instability and conflict, the UK’s relationship with the Holy See is more important than ever. The Holy See is a key international actor.
“We work with the Holy See to promote human dignity, to promote peace and combat climate change… so His Majesty’s visit will strengthen the UK’s relationship with this crucial and influential global partner.”
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Only in 1961 did Queen Elizabeth II became the first British monarch since the Reformation to make an official visit to the Holy See.
In April of this year, a royal visit had to be cancelled due to the ill health of Pope Francis, but both the King and Queen did meet him privately while on a trip to Rome. It is understood Pope Leo and the King have been actively engaged in how this reorganised visit will look and the themes it will cover.
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