Alex Salmond timeline: From rabble-rouser to First Minister to Alba party leader

December 31, 1954: Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond is born in Linlithgow, West Lothian - the same town that was the birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots.

1973: Joins the SNP while a student at St Andrews University.

June 11, 1987: Is elected to Westminster in the general election, winning the seat of Banff and Buchan from the Conservatives.

March 15, 1988: Less than a year after being elected, Mr Salmond makes headlines when he disrupts then chancellor Nigel Lawson’s budget speech in the House of Commons. The incident resulted in him being suspended from the House for a week.

September 22, 1990: Becomes leader of the SNP.

September 11, 1997: A referendum to establish the new Scottish Parliament is held, with Mr Salmond and his SNP campaigning alongside Labour and the Liberal Democrats for a Yes vote.

May 6, 1999: As well as being the MP for Banff and Buchan, Mr Salmond is elected as MSP for the same constituency in the first elections to the devolved Scottish Parliament. He is leader of the opposition, with Labour joining forces with the Liberal Democrats in a coalition government.

July 17, 2000: Mr Salmond announces he is to stand down as SNP leader to concentrate on Westminster. He is succeeded in the post by John Swinney.

May 14, 2001: Mr Salmond leaves Holyrood, stepping down as an MSP.

June 2004: After Mr Swinney resigns as SNP leader, Mr Salmond says he has no intention of returning to the post, stating: ‘’If nominated I’ll decline. If drafted I’ll defer. And if elected I’ll resign.’’

July 15, 2004: Mr Salmond announces he will stand for leader, telling reporters: ‘’I changed my mind.”

September 3, 2004: Mr Salmond is elected as SNP leader for the second time with a landslide victory. Nicola Sturgeon is voted in as his deputy.

May 3, 2007: Mr Salmond is elected to Holyrood for a second time, winning the Gordon constituency. His SNP becomes the largest party in the Scottish Parliament by the narrowest of margins, winning 47 seats to Labour’s 46.

May 16, 2007: Mr Salmond is elected as Scotland’s first SNP First Minister, leading a minority administration at Holyrood.

May 5, 2011: Mr Salmond leads the SNP to a landslide victory in the Scottish Parliament elections, with the party taking 69 of the 129 seats.

PA

January 25, 2012: Mr Salmond formally launches the Scottish Government’s consultation on plans to hold an independence referendum in a statement to Holyrood.

October 15, 2012: After talks between the UK and Scottish governments, Mr Salmond and Prime Minister David Cameron sign the Edinburgh Agreement, paving the way for a referendum on independence.

November 26, 2013: Mr Salmond launches the Scottish Government’s 670-page White Paper on independence.

September 18, 2014: Voters across Scotland go to the polls in the referendum, where they are asked ‘’Should Scotland be an independent country?’’. In the historic ballot, 45 per cent vote Yes, with the majority (55 per cent) opting to stay in the UK.

September 19, 2014: Mr Salmond calls a press conference at his official residence, Bute House in Edinburgh, where he announces his intention to step down as SNP leader and First Minister.

November 14, 2014: Mr Salmond steps down as SNP leader at the party’s conference in Perth.

November 18, 2014: Mr Salmond gives a statement to Holyrood, formally resigning as First Minister.

May 7, 2015: Mr Salmond stands for Westminster and wins the Gordon seat. He later stands down as an MSP at the 2016 Scottish election.

June 8, 2017: On the night of the 2017 general election, Mr Salmond loses his seat as the member for Gordon to Colin Clark of the Conservatives.

November 9, 2017: The RT channel - formerly Russia Today - announces it will host The Alex Salmond Show on the network. Mr Salmond later announces the suspension of the show in February 2022, following the invasion of Ukraine.

August 29, 2018: Mr Salmond resigns from the SNP in the face of allegations of sexual misconduct from his time as First Minister. He formally starts his judicial review of the Scottish Government's handling of harassment complaints against him.

January 8, 2019: The Court of Session declares the Scottish Government's inquiry into Mr Salmond unlawful on procedural grounds and the former first minister is awarded £512,000 in legal costs.

January 24, 2019: Police Scotland arrest Mr Salmond and he is charged with 14 offences.

November 21, 2019: Mr Salmond appears before the High Court, entering a plea of "not guilty".

March 23, 2020: Mr Salmond is cleared of all charges. He had maintained his innocence throughout a two-week-long trial.

February 26, 2021: Mr Salmond gives evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints.

March 24, 2021: Declares his intent to sue the Scottish Government for damages over the actions of Permanent Secretary Leslie Evans.

March 26, 2021: Announced as the new leader of the Alba party, Mr Salmond says he will stand in the May Scottish election.

Getty Images

May 6, 2021: Nicola Sturgeon secures a third term, but Mr Salmond’s new party fails to win any seats.

November 24, 2023: Mr Salmond launches a new legal case against the Scottish Government, alleging misfeasance by civil servants over the mishandling of the harassment inquiry, suing for damages of up to £3 million.

October 12, 2024: Mr Salmond dies, aged 69, in the North Macedonia lake-resort town of Ohrid. CONNECT WITH THE SCOTSMAN

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