Alex Salmond’s body to be returned to Scotland – with private individual paying for flight after request to use RAF rejected
A private individual is paying for a flight to repatriate Alex Salmond’s body after the Foreign Office rejected requests for the RAF to get involved.
The former first minister and SNP leader collapsed and died after delivering a speech on Scottish independence in North Macedonia on Saturday.
The UK and Scottish governments had been in talks about the return of Mr Salmond’s body.
David Davis, Conservative MP and close friend of Mr Salmond, had led calls for the armed forces to get involved.
A private aircraft is now being chartered, which is being paid for by a private citizen. The flight is expected to land in Aberdeen.
Officials are arranging the final logistics on Wednesday afternoon.
Kenny MacAskill, acting leader of the Alba Party, said Mr Salmond’s widow and family were “incredibly grateful” for the support.
He said: “It brings a great deal of comfort to Moira and other members of the family to know that he will soon be home with them.”
Mr MacAskill also expressed the Salmond family’s appreciation to the North Macedonian government, for “expediting” the process of releasing Mr Salmond’s body and the Scottish and UK governments for their work in securing his repatriation.
There had been lengthy discussions between Scotland’s Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes and the UK government’s Europe minister.
Mr Salmond was a former first minister and leader of the SNP. File pic: PA
There had been concerns about breaking the precedent of the RAF only repatriating the bodies of members of the Royal Family.
Witnesses say Mr Salmond, a nationalist stalwart, fell into the arms of a colleague at a lunch following the Cultural Diplomacy summit in Ohrid on Saturday afternoon.
The 69-year-old’s family confirmed the cause of death was a heart attack in a statement issued on Monday evening.
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The King led tributes to Mr Salmond, who led Scotland to the brink of independence in the historic 2014 referendum.
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”.
A book of condolence has opened at the Scottish parliament. Pic: Scottish parliament
A book of condolence has opened at the Scottish parliament for visitors to leave messages that will be sent to Mr Salmond’s family.
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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.
Mr Salmond and Ms Sturgeon pictured in May 2013 while launching a paper on the economic case for independence. Pic: PA
He launched his rival Scottish independence party, Alba, in 2021 after his relationship with his successor Nicola Sturgeon fractured.
The pair never spoke again.
A Scottish government spokesperson said: “The loss of a loved one is a difficult time for any family, made more complex when they have passed away overseas.
“Over the last few days the Scottish government and UK government have been engaging with Alex Salmond’s family and working closely together in accordance with their wishes, to ensure the swift and dignified repatriation of the former first minister to Scotland.
“Having explored a number of options, the family have now made arrangements for this to take place with the support of a private citizen.
“The Scottish government continues to engage with Mr Salmond’s family, and we stand ready to offer further advice and support, should it be required.”
Politics
Chancellor Rachel Reeves considering ‘changes’ to ISAs – and says there’s too much focus on ‘risk’ in investing
The chancellor has confirmed she is considering “changes” to ISAs – and said there has been too much focus on “risk” in members of the public investing.
In her second annual Mansion House speech to the financial sector, Rachel Reeves said she recognised “differing views” over the popular tax-free savings accounts, in which savers can currently put up to £20,000 a year.
She was reportedly considering reducing the threshold to as low as £4,000 a year, in a bid to encourage people to put money into stocks and shares instead and boost the economy.
However the chancellor has shelved any immediate planned changes after fierce backlash from building societies and consumer groups.
In her speech to key industry figures on Tuesday evening, Ms Reeves said: “I will continue to consider further changes to ISAs, engaging widely over the coming months and recognising that despite the differing views on the right approach, we are united in wanting better outcomes for both savers and for the UK economy.”
She added: “For too long, we have presented investment in too negative a light, quick to warn people of the risks, without giving proper weight to the benefits.”
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Rachel Reeves’s fiscal dilemma
Ms Reeves’s speech, the first major one since the welfare bill climbdown two weeks ago, appeared to encourage regulators to focus less on risks and more on the benefits of investing in things like the stock market and government bonds (loans issued by states to raise funds with an interest rate paid in return).
She welcomed action by the financial regulator to review risk warning rules and the campaign to promote retail investment, which the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is launching next year.
“Our tangled system of financial advice and guidance has meant that people cannot get the right support to make decisions for themselves”, Ms Reeves told the event in London.
Read more:
Should you get Lifetime ISA? Two key issues to consider
Building societies protest against proposed ISA reforms
Is there £15bn of wiggle room in Reeves’s fiscal rules?
Last year, Ms Reeves said post-financial crash regulation had “gone too far” and set a course for cutting red tape.
On Tuesday, she said she would announce a package of City changes, including a new competitive framework for a part of the insurance industry and a regulatory regime for asset management.
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Reeves is ‘totally’ up for the job
In response to Ms Reeves’s address, shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride said: “Rachel Reeves should have used her speech this evening to rule out massive tax rises on businesses and working people. The fact that she didn’t should send a shiver down the spine of taxpayers across the country.”
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The governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey, also spoke at the Mansion House event and said Donald Trump’s taxes on US imports would slow the economy and trade imbalances should be addressed.
“Increasing tariffs creates the risk of fragmenting the world economy, and thereby reducing activity”, he said.
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