Former First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond has died at the age of 69.

Mr Salmond had been giving a speech in North Macedonia this morning and his cause of death has not yet been announced.

A prominent Scottish nationalist, Mr Salmond was the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) on two occasions, from 1990-2000 and 2004-2014.

Mr Salmond resigned as leader after Scotland voted against independence from the UK and served as an SNP MP until he was defeated in 2017’s general election.

Following a controversial exit from the SNP, Mr Salmond had become the leader of the Alba party, a new party committed to achieving Scottish independence.

Salmond was born in Linlithgow in 1954 and was educated at St Andrew’s University where he studied Economics and Medieval History.

It was here that Salmond first dabbled in nationalist politics and after several years working in banking following graduation, he was elected to parliament in 1987 as the MP for Banff and Buchan.

After ascending to the SNP leadership in 1990, Salmond took the party from the fringes of electoral system to the leading player in Scottish politics and an influential force in Westminster.

Salmond was vocal throughout his career on his belief in Scottish independence but was unable to help the leave campaign win the referendum on the subject in 2014, as 55% of Scots voted to remain.

In the wake of the defeat, he resigned, to be replaced unopposed by his deputy Nichola Sturgeon.

He continued to serve as MP for Banff and Buchan and retained his seat in 2015 but was surprisingly defeated in Theresa May’s 2017 general election.

Following his defeat, Mr Salmond moved into broadcasting, hosting ‘The Alex Salmond Show’ on RT, formerly known as Russia Today.

He received criticism for the decision to work for the channel due to Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the show was eventually suspended following the illegal invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

In recent years, he had launched a similar version of the show on social media channels called ‘Scotland Speaks with Alex Salmond’.

In 2018, Salmond was embroiled in a sexual harassment scandal relating to his conduct as First Minister.

Salmond faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, including sexual assault and attempted rape, but in 2020 was found not guilty on 12 charges, and not proven on one of sexual assault with intent to rape.

More recently, Salmond had become leader of the Alba party, a newly formed Scottish independence focussed party.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer described Salmond as a "monumental figure of Scottish and UK politics" whilst Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar said "his contribution to the Scottish political landscpare can not be overstated."

Conservative leader Rishi Sunak posted on X: “Alex Salmond was a huge figure in our politics. While I disagreed with him on the constitutional question, there was no denying his skill in debate or his passion for politics. May he rest in peace.”

Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney said: “I am deeply shocked and saddened at the untimely death of the former first minister Alex Salmond, and I extend my deepest condolences to Alex’s wife Moira and to his family.

“Over many years, Alex made an enormous contribution to political life – not just within Scotland, but across the UK and beyond.

“Alex worked tirelessly and fought fearlessly for the country that he loved and for her independence. He took the Scottish National Party from the fringes of Scottish politics into government and led Scotland so close to becoming an independent country.

“There will be much more opportunity to reflect in the coming days, but today all of our thoughts are with Alex’s family and his many friends right across the political spectrum.”

Salmond is survived by his wife Moira. The couple have no children.