Former First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond seen in video just hours before death

The hour-long clip named Scotland Speaks was his usual weekly broadcast which broadcast every Saturday at 10am.

Former First Minister Alex Salmond was seen in a video posted just hours before his death aged 69.

The hour-long clip named Scotland Speaks was his usual weekly broadcast. It aired at 10am each Saturday and is the final video the Alba leader posted before he died after delivering a speech in North Macedonia. The episode featured chosen clips from a September live recording of The Ayes Still Have It!, an event which Salmond had hosted at an IMAX cinema in Glasgow.

The Alba Party leader interviewed broadcaster Bernard Ponsonby while his co-host Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh interviewed three women politicians. A number of other people associated with his party were also present at the show which was held to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the failed Independence referendum.

The show ended with a Q&A session with questions taken from X/Twitter and he outlines his political philosophy largely around independence in the chat with the chairwoman of his party. Salmond said: "I think Keir Starmer is more likely to freeze old people to death than to grant another referendum."

He said the next Scottish election should be treated as a referendum and parties should go to it looking for a mandate on independence. Salmond says there is only one way for there to be a pro-independence parties to hold as many seats in the Scottish parliament as possible.

He says: "The SNP to hold as many of its constituency seats as it can and for Alba or another party... to break through on the list to get 15 per cent of the vote and that gives you your independence majority in the parliament. Every single Alba MSP will be a real advocate for independence."

Salmond was First Minister of Scotland between 2007 and 2014 and returned to Westminster as MP for Gordon between 2015 and 2017. He was the leader of the SNP between 1990 and 2000 and 2004 and 2014 before forming the breakaway Alba Party in 2021.

Alex Salmond dies age 69

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Keir Starmer shared a tribute to Salmond following news of, saying he left behind a "lasting legacy". The Prime Minister said: "As First Minister of Scotland he cared deeply about Scotland's heritage, history, and culture, as well as the communities he represented as MP and MSP over many years of service. My thoughts are with those who knew him, his family, and his loved ones. On behalf of the UK government I offer them our condolences today."

It's understood Salmond died following a suspected heart attack.

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