Politics

Alex Salmond: King Charles leads tributes to ‘monumental figure’ of UK politics

Published

11 months ago

October 13, 2024

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The King has said he is “greatly saddened” by the sudden death of Alex Salmond, Scotland’s first SNP first minister.

The Alba leader died on Saturday afternoon aged 69 from a suspected heart attack during a trip to North Macedonia.

In a message issued by Buckingham Palace, King Charles said: “My wife and I are greatly saddened to hear of the sudden death of Alex Salmond.

King, PM among those paying tribute to former first minister

“His devotion to Scotland drove his decades of public service.

“We extend our deep condolences to his family and loved ones at this time.”

Mr Salmond had made a speech at the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy Forum and is understood to have collapsed at lunch in a crowded room.

The Alba party said it understood he had suffered a heart attack, although there will be a post-mortem examination to confirm the cause of death.

Tributes praised him for his decades in politics and efforts to move Scotland closer to independence.

Scotland‘s First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney said he “took the Scottish National Party from the fringes of Scottish politics into government and led Scotland so close to becoming an independent country”.

Sir Keir Starmer called Mr Salmond a “monumental figure of Scottish and UK politics” for more than 30 years who “leaves behind a lasting legacy”.

The prime minister said: “As first minister of Scotland he cared deeply about Scotland’s heritage, history and culture, as well as the communities he represented as MP and MSP over many years of service.”

His former colleague Nicola Sturgeon acknowledged the “breakdown” of her relationship with Mr Salmond but praised him for taking Scotland to the “brink of independence”.

“He was my mentor, and for more than a decade we formed one of the most successful partnerships in UK politics,” she wrote.

Kenny MacAskill, Alba’s deputy leader, said the party “grieves the loss of their founder and leader” but that “the dream he cherished so closely and came so close to delivering will never die”.

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.

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Politics

Fast-track asylum appeals process to be introduced – as average time for decisions is more than one year

Published

7 hours ago

August 24, 2025

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Fast-track asylum appeals process to be introduced - as average time for decisions is more than one year

A new fast-track asylum appeals process will be introduced to speed up the process of deporting people without a right to remain in the UK, the home secretary has said.

As it currently takes, on average, more than a year to reach a decision on asylum appeals, the government plans to set up a new independent panel focused on asylum appeals to help reduce the backlog.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said “completely unacceptable” delays in the appeals process left failed asylum seekers in the system for years.

There are about 51,000 asylum appeals waiting to be heard.

The new independent body will use professionally-trained adjudicators, rather than relying on judges.

Ministers are introducing a new 24-week deadline for the first-tier tribunal to determine asylum appeals by those receiving accommodation support and appeals by foreign offenders.

But they believe the current tribunal system, which covers a wide range of different cases, is still failing to ensure failed asylum seekers can be returned as swiftly as possible, nor can it accommodate a fast-track system for safe countries.

It comes amid protests about the use of hotel accommodation for migrants.

The home secretary said the overhaul would result in a system which is “swift, fair and independent, with high standards in place”.

She said: “We inherited an asylum system in complete chaos with a soaring backlog of asylum cases and a broken appeals system with thousands of people in the system for years on end.

“That is why we are taking practical steps to fix the foundations and restore control and order to the system.

“We are determined to substantially reduce the number of people in the asylum system as part of our plan to end asylum hotels.

“Already since the election, we have reduced the backlog of people waiting for initial decisions by 24% and increased failed asylum returns by 30%.

“But we cannot carry on with these completely unacceptable delays in appeals as a result of the system we have inherited which mean that failed asylum seekers stay in the system for years on end at huge cost to the taxpayer.”

Official figures released earlier this month showed a total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.