Alba leader gives update on whether Nicola Sturgeon will attend Alex Salmond funeral
The acting leader of the Alba party who has stepped in following Alex Salmond’s death has stressed it is “premature” to suggest Nicola Sturgeon will be banned from his funeral.
The intervention comes after a Sunday newspaper claimed that Ms Sturgeon would not be welcome at a memorial service held for Mr Salmond.
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An unnamed source close to Mr Salmond reportedly told the Sunday Mail that there was “no chance in hell” Ms Sturgeon would be invited to a funeral or memorial service.
But Kenny MacAskill, acting leader of the Alba party, has raised doubts over claims Ms Sturgeon would be banned from any event to remember her predecessor.
Mr Salmond died while attending a conference in North Macedonia last weekend. Ms Sturgeon, in paying tribute to Mr Salmond, acknowledged “the breakdown of our relationship” after their very public falling out in recent years.
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Hide AdShe added: “However, it remains the fact that for many years Alex was an incredibly significant figure in my life.”


There was no suggestion Ms Sturgeon would attend such an event, which will likely be reserved for close friends and family.
The duo publicly fell out over harassment claims against Mr Salmond, who was cleared of any criminality at a High Court trial in Edinburgh in 2020. But Mr Salmond and his legal team admitted the former first minister “could have been a better man” and had acted in an “inappropriate” manner while in office.
Mr Salmond had been highly critical of Ms Sturgeon’s tenure in Bute House, particularly over the SNP’s stalled independence strategy but failed in an attempt to make a dramatic return to Holyrood at the 2021 election for Alba.
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Hide AdBut Mr MacAskill has warned that “speculation is premature” relating to Mr Salmond’s funeral arrangements.


He said: “Now is the time for Alex’s family to be given the privacy and time to grieve the loss of a beloved husband, brother and uncle.
“An announcement will be made in the coming days about arrangements for a private funeral to be attended by his family and close friends.
“There will be time in the coming weeks to celebrate his life and commemorate his achievements in a memorial service, the family have yet to make any arrangements for that. All other speculation is premature.
“I would ask that the family’s privacy be respected at this time.”
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