Alex Salmond ‘won’t step down’ in event of No vote

Salmond does not intend to hand over to Nicola Sturgeon just yet. Picture: Robert Perry

During a walk-about on Glasgow’s Buchanan Street, which saw Mr Salmond and Ms Sturgeon mobbed by Yes supporters, the First Minister was asked if he would resign in the event of a No vote.

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“No,” the First Minister answered during a lively event, staged to mark the 10th anniversary of the duo taking over at the top of the SNP after the resignation of John Swinney.

It was exactly a decade ago that Mr Salmond returned to take over the party with Ms Sturgeon as his deputy.

Brushing off suggestions that he might be prepared to hand over to his long-standing number two, Mr Salmond added: “We will continue to serve out the mandate we have been given and that applies to the SNP always. It applies to me – all of us.”

He added: “I don’t think there is any reason to suspect that we will be in that position in two weeks time we will see Scotland make a substantial and decisive movement with Yes.”

Reacting to Ed Miliband’s visit to Scotland and his attack on the Tories in an attempt to win over left-wing voters leaning towards Yes, Mr Salmond suggested the Labour leader was fighting the wrong campaign.

“What Ed Miliband doesn’t seem to understand is that this referendum isn’t about the SNP, it is not about me or about any politician or any political party. It is about the opportunity that the people of Scotland have in each and every future election in an independent country to get the government of our choice.

“He thinks he is in an SNP/Labour battle for a Westminster election or the Scottish Parliament. It is not. This is an opportunity for everyone in Scotland to assert their democratic right to have a Government of their choice in each and every election.”