LONDON: Scotland’s former leader Alex Salmond, a figurehead of the independence movement, has died at the age of 69, members of the Scottish National Party (SNP) he once led said Saturday.

Salmond, who led Scotland between 2007 and 2014, was reported by the UK media to have been taken ill after giving a speech in North Macedonia.

Tributes poured in from across the political spectrum for one of Scotland’s most important figures.

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Prime Minister Keir Starmer called Salmond a “monumental figure of Scottish and UK politics” who “leaves behind a lasting legacy”.

His predecessor, Conservative leader Rishi Sunak said 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.”

“Alex and I obviously had our differences in the last few years, but there’s no doubt about the enormous contribution he made to Scottish & UK politics,” Scotland’s former first minister Humza Yousaf wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.