Nicola Sturgeon 'banned' from attending Alex Salmond's funeral
Nicola Sturgeon will be banned from attending Alex Salmond’s funeral due to their hostile relationship, reports have claimed.
Mr Salmond, who was SNP first minister from 2007 to 2014, before handing the reins to Ms Sturgeon after he lost the independence referendum, died from a heart attack while at a conference in North Macedonia last weekend.
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After a saga over who would pay to repatriate Mr Salmond’s body, he returned to Scotland on Friday after Scottish businessman Sir Tom Hunter chartered a private jet.
Now an unnamed source has claimed that Ms Sturgeon, who has described Mr Salmond as her “mentor”, will not be allowed to attend his private funeral, due to the public falling out between the duo.
A source told the Sunday Mail there was “not a chance in hell” of Ms Sturgeon being included on the guest list after her relationship with Mr Salmond disintegrated.
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The source said: “It will be a very small private service with only family attending.
“There will be a larger memorial celebration later in the year, or possibly into January, for Alex’s supporters, friends and old colleagues.
“Nicola Sturgeon won’t be invited to either of them. Not a chance in hell.”
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Hide AdAn unnamed SNP source also told the same newspaper the news of Mr Salmond’s death has “been a lot for Nicola”, adding that “she doesn’t know what to feel”.
The source added: “She’s completely devastated by Alex’s death. Even though they had clearly fallen out of favour with one another, he was a huge part of her life for a long time.
“His death came as a complete shock to us all.”
On Saturday, Ms Sturgeon posted photos from a new book-themed bar in Glasgow with former SNP MP Anne McLaughlin on Instagram, writing “books, cocktails and chat with a pal”, adding “what more could anyone want on a Saturday afternoon”.
A source close to Ms Sturgeon told The Times that people’s thoughts should be with Mr Salmond’s family rather than on the pair’s relationship.
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Hide AdTheir relationship broke down after Mr Salmond was accused of sexual harassment from his time in government. He was acquitted of all criminal charges and won a civil case against the Scottish Government for its handling of the initial complaints, winning legal costs of £500,000.
But their relationship continued to sour after Mr Salmond and his legal team admitted he “could have been a better man” at the court case, with his lawyer Gordon Jackson admitting he had acted in an “inappropriate” manner and had “behaved badly”.
Mr Salmond’s former speechwriter and adviser Alex Bell, called as a witness by his defence team, described the former first minister as “a creep”.
Mr Salmond has been highly critical of Ms Sturgeon’s leadership, particularly over the SNP’s stalled independence strategy.
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The stand-off ignited when both Mr Salmond and Ms Sturgeon were called to give evidence to the Holyrood committee investigating the botched probe into the initial complaints against Mr Salmond.
According to reports, Mr Salmond’s close family and friends are considering a public memorial to him around one of Scotland’s winter holidays - potentially to coincide with St Andrew’s Day, Burns Night or Hogmanay, a date shared with Mr Salmond’s birthday.
A small private funeral is expected to take place next week.
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