Alex Salmond

MILLIONAIRE Mohamed Al Fayed has accused First Minister Alex Salmond of wanting to “treat Scotland like a rubbish dump” blasting — “it’s not BANGLADESH”. The ex-Harrods boss spoke out in a letter to the SNP leader over a scheme to build a green ...  

THE Scottish Sun today begins a week-long series of articles on the independence debate. Under the banner ‘Your Country Your Future’ we’ll look at the arguments for and against the Union. Here, First Minister ALEX SALMOND explains why he believes ...  

A Scottish National Party (SNP) campaign to encourage one million people to sign a declaration of independence ahead of 2014's referendum has reportedly gained over 7,500 signatures a day after launch. The 'Yes Scotland' campaign was launched last week As well as the 7,563 signatories, of which SNP leader Alex Salmond was the first at a high-profile launch event in Edinburgh on Friday, the party said around 3,000 had shared the...  

ScotsmanLeaders: Blurred vision on independenceScotsmanThere is disquiet over Alex Salmond`s low-tax plans for corporation. Picture: Ian Rutherford FRIDAY'S launch of the Yes Scotland campaign marked a sea-change in the debate about Scotland's future. For some time now the SNP has been at pains to identify ...Alex Salmond is the Yes ManThe Scottish SunScottish independence campaign has stalled, says Alistair DarlingThe GuardianCampaign for...  

First Minister Alex Salmond will be joined by the former Irish president, human rights champion Mary Robinson, when the climate justice fund is launched in Edinburgh on Thursday. Details of the fund are expected to be announced then. The fund launch was ...  

Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond is not having a good day. First, the Pope vetoed a visit to the Vatican over his support for gay marriage. Then a new opinion poll by YouGov found that only one third of the Scottish people back Salmond’s dream of independence.  

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond formally launched his long-touted campaign for Scottish independence at a celebrity-packed event in Edinburgh on the same day that a YouGov poll revealed that only a third of Scots want to leave the UK. Called Yes ...  

POLITICIANS regularly have to register interests in everything from chairmanships to shareholdings. But First Minister Alex Salmond declared an interest of a different kind when delays to the new Sick Kids Hospital were debated at the Scottish Parliament.  

First Minister Alex Salmond, one of the key speakers at the launch in Edinburgh ... The message from former James Bond star Sir Sean was read out by Martin Compston, who starred in the Ken Loach film Sweet Sixteen. "This is a historic day for Scotland ...  

Alex Salmond has predicted that a million Scots will be signed ... Despite the SNP being given nearly £2m in donations from a bequest by Edwin Morgan, the former national poet, and Colin and Chris Weir, who gave £1m after winning a £65m Euromillions ...  

ScotsmanScottish independence: Alex Salmond's pledge to sign up 1m votersScotsmanBy ANDREW WHITAKER ALEX Salmond yesterday launched a bid to get a million Scots to sign a declaration of support for independence from the UK. He told the start of the “Yes Scotland” referendum campaign that if the aim of getting the public to sign up ...'Scotland's future will be in Scotland's hands'Herald ScotlandScottish independence: 'Yes' campaign to be...  

A string of A-listers looked on, including GoldenEye star Alan Cumming and Bourne Supremacy actor Brian Cox — who both plan to move back to Scotland just so they can vote in the referendum. Long-time Labour supporter Cox — who turned to the SNP at the ...  

At present, Alex Salmond is master of all he surveys ... And there have been mumblings to the effect that he might even renounce the SNP’s historic commitment to unilateralism and to the removal of Trident from Scottish waters, and seek to join Nato.  

(I wonder what Daniel Craig thinks? Oh hang on ... parents find the idea of one of them being turned into a foreigner, in order to satisfy Alex Salmond's megalomania, abhorrent. We know that increasing numbers of voters in England are furious ...  

SPEAKING as the stage was being dismantled, organisers of the independence campaign launch attempted to explain what the big day yesterday was not. The Yes Scotland campaign was not going to produce a precise blueprint on how exactly an independent ...  

He was urged by Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie to consider an inquiry less than a week after the man convicted for the atrocity died in Libya. More than 40 politicians, religious leaders and journalists signed a letter on Tuesday calling ...  

NICK WOOD: Scotland’s First Minister is not having a good day. First, the Pope vetoed a visit to the Vatican over his support for gay marriage. Then a poll found that only a third of Scots back independence.  

The SNP event at Edinburgh’s Cineworld is expected to draw global TV coverage and features a host of big-name backers pledging support. But new poll figures show support for independence is faltering. A YouGov survey paid for by ex-Chancellor Alastair ...  

The formal campaign for Scottish independence was launched today at a celebrity-endorsed event. Organisers of the Yes Scotland movement vowed to stage the 'biggest community-based campaign in Scotland’s history' in the run-up to the independence ...  

Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Conservative leader, said: “Alex Salmond is expected to pull out the stops for his big launch, but all the razzamatazz in the world can’t hide the fact that the majority of Scots have no wish to be separated from the rest of ...  

EDINBURGH, Scotland, May 25 (UPI) -- Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond has launched a drive to encourage his compatriots to vote for independence. Salmond, who wants a referendum on independence in 2014, was joined at Thursday's event in ...  

Fresh calls for an inquiry into the Lockerbie bombing have been rejected by the First Minister. Only a court of law can determine guilt or innocence, Alex Salmond said during First Minister's Questions at Holyrood. He was urged by Scottish Liberal Democrat ...  

It is a major blow to Scotland's First Minister, Alex Salmond, on the day that he is to launch his separation campaign, which will use the slogan ‘Scotland’s Future in Scotland’s Hands’. Opposition to independence among SNP supporters has increased ...  

The campaign to persuade voters to back Scottish independence in 2014 is being launched in Edinburgh. The Yes Scotland campaign is billed as cross-party and community-based, but is dominated by the SNP, with First Minister Alex Salmond expected to play a ...  

The Scottish National Party has launched the official campaign to ask people to vote for independence from Britain, with a new poll suggesting only 33 per cent back the move. The 'Yes Scotland' campaign has been launched by the SNP The 'Yes Scotland' campaign, backed by the SNP, was launched in Edinburgh by party leader and Scottish first minister Alex Salmond.However, a survey published by former chancellor Alistair...  

ALEX Salmond yesterday urged a million Scots to sign up for independence, without knowing how it will affect them. The First Minister told a gathering of politicians, entertainers and lottery winners that he wants the signatures by the 2014 referendum on ...  

BBC NewsScottish independence: Supporters launch 'yes' campaignBBC NewsAt the event in Edinburgh, First Minister Alex Salmond declared his aim of geting one million Scots to sign the declaration. Those who took the stage to voice their support for the campaign also included Scottish Green Party co-leader Patrick Harvie, ...Campaign for Independence gets launched with celebrity-endorsed eventThe IndependentAlex Salmond launches campaign for a...  

Alex Salmond launched the campaign for Scottish independence yesterday, telling nationalists to collect the signatures of one million Scots to ensure victory in the 2014 referendum.Related StoriesCampaign for Independence launched with celebrity-endorsed eventJeremy Hunt told me to quit, says former special adviser Adam SmithOsborne adviser leaked budget information to Murdoch's manHunt comforted adviser, then said: 'Everyone thinks you've...  

ALEX Salmond was last night accused of turning his back on Scotland’s poorest families by snubbing top-level talks on the Tories’ brutal benefit cuts. The First Minister will not attend today’s joint ministerial committee in London chaired by Deputy ...  

Alex Salmond has come under fire for failing to attend a meeting of ministers from around the UK which is due to take place in London later. The Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) meets four times a year to discuss areas of mutual concern. The first ...  

First Minister Alex Salmond has stressed the importance of remembering the victims of the Lockerbie bombing on Sunday, following the news that the man convicted of the killings, Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, died in Tripoli on Sunday. The SNP leader said that ...  

THE Scottish Government has said the official “Yes to independence” campaign will be a cross- party alliance and that the SNP will not be the only voice. First Minister Alex Salmond will be the keynote speaker at tomorrow’s official launch, along ...  

Alex Salmond has told the 'yes' campaign in Edinburgh that the parliament has "earned it's spurs" and is ready to run an independent country. David Cameron has insisted the Culture Secretary "acted impartially" in ruling over the BSkyB takeover ...  

Forget tabloid rhetoric and Braveheart aspiration. Does Alex Salmond have enough votes to dissolve the United Kingdom and create a new nation state called Scotland? When I’m asked this question by foreign journalists and politicians – the latest being ...  

FIRST Minister Alex Salmond must end speculation that the SNP will u-turn on its opposition to Nato “or pay the price”, one of the party’s MSPs said tonight. SNP plans to hold a highly contentious vote that could have seen the party end its long ...  

ONE of Alex Salmond’s favourite sayings is the one that goes along the lines of: The more you’re talked about, the better you’re known. And he’s used it on innumerable occasions to tell everyone how the political world worships at his feet ...  

Jim Pickard and Kiran Stacey, FT Westminster correspondents, share the latest news and analysis on the UK's political scene. Follow the latest news on the UK politics and policy. Jim Pickard joined the lobby team in January 2008. He has been at the ...  

While there, he managed to persuade the country’s first minister, Alex Salmond, to sit for an interview — Salmond’s first on an American talk show — in which they discussed a myriad of topics. For example: Ferguson: In an independent ...  

First Minister Alex Salmond must end speculation that the SNP will withdraw its opposition to Nato "or pay the price", according to one of his own MSPs.  

FIRST Minister Alex Salmond must end speculation that the SNP will u-turn on its opposition to Nato “or pay the price”, one of the party’s MSPs said tonight. John Finnie, MSP for the Highlands and Islands, took to Twitter to highlight an article ...  

First Minister Alex Salmond must end speculation that the SNP will withdraw its opposition to Nato "or pay the price", according to one of his own MSPs.  

A CHALLENGE for Alexander McKay (Debate, 6 May): name any UK political leader more popular and successful than Alex Salmond. He talks of Salmond’s “ego” as if he should be ashamed of it. My dictionary defines it as “personal pride”. Years ago ...  

Megrahi was sentenced to life imprisonment in Scotland, but was released two years ago on compassionate grounds and returned to Libya because he was suffering from advanced terminal prostate cancer and thought to have just a few months to live. His release ...  

ALEX Salmond seems to have learned the wrong lesson from Tony Blair. The lesson from Blair is not that cosying up to Rupert Murdoch is the key to success. Rather, it’s when you have won a landslide call your referendum quick. After the landslide of 1997 ...  

US ambassador Louis B Susman last night told a business audience at Edinburgh Castle that Scotland is a "crucial player" in transatlantic commercial links between America and the UK and an "attractive investment opportunity".  

Alex Salmond is due to visit the United States next month. The first minister is to travel to California to help build economic links and encourage inward investment. One of his scheduled engagements is a speech to the Commonwealth Club, a forum for public ...  

ALEX Salmond yesterday rejected calls for a public inquiry into Scotland’s child protection system. Scots Labour leader Johann Lamont demanded the inquiry after inspectors gave Renfrewshire social services a glowing report despite concerns over their ...  

Alex Salmond has been warned by a leading supporter of Scottish independence that his efforts to woo centre ground voters with "middle of the road blandness" could backfire by alienating left-wing, radical voters. Patrick Harvie, the leader of the pro ...  

The First Minister has hailed an ambitious project that could create 150 jobs decommissioning oil rigs. A total of £10 million is available to support plans for a deepwater quay in Shetland, Alex Salmond said. Both the Scottish Government and Highlands ...  

First Minister Alex Salmond must end speculation that the SNP will withdraw its opposition to Nato "or pay the price", according to one of his own MSPs. The SNP`s John Finnie used social networking site Twitter to highlight an article calling on Mr Salmond ...  

THE 73 men who died building the Forth Bridge were remembered yesterday with monuments at either end of the structure. Thousands of other “briggers” who worked on the structure in the 1880s were also honoured as the memorials were unveiled in North and ...  

LIFELONG Jambo Alex Salmond can’t wait to take his seat at Hampden tomorrow. But the game is even more special to the First Minister as he’s taking his dad, whose devotion to Hearts inspired him to follow the club as a boy. Robert Salmond, 90, will sit ...  

ALEX Salmond will claim today that up to 12,000 jobs could be created through a new strategy to capitalise on Scotland s expertise in electricity supply and demand. The First Minister will speak at the launch of a strategy to secure Scotland s place at the ...  

Mr Salmond is campaigning for Scottish independence in a referendum, which is expected to be held in 2014. In a speech at the London School of Economics, Alex Salmond said that he was "moving towards agreement" over the terms and date of the referendum ...  

SCOTLAND and Norway could make a massive contribution to Europe’s green energy targets, First Minister Alex Salmond has said. During a visit to Norway, he highlighted the renewables links between the two countries today. Initial work has got under way on ...  

Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond has emerged as one of the most compromised acolytes of Rupert Murdoch and his media empire. Emails handed over to the Leveson Inquiry by News International show Salmond offering to assist NI’s parent body, Murdoch’s ...  

Holyrood’s presiding officer lambasted Joan McAlpine, one of Mr Salmond’s most loyal acolytes, when she failed to show in the Scottish Parliament chamber despite being selected to ask a question about osteoarthritis. It emerged she was dining barely 50 ...  

THE SNP suffered a bitter blow yesterday when they failed to take control of Alex Salmond’s local council. Aberdeenshire will be run by a Tory-led coalition. They joined forces with the Lib Dems and most of the independent councillors elected last week.  

First Minister Alex Salmond said in a statement Sunday that the Lockerbie investigation remains live and Scottish officials are cooperating with the new Libyan authorities in their investigations. Salmond said prosecutors have always believed ...  

Voters eventually got tired of ­Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair, while John Major and Gordon Brown enjoyed a brief day in the sun before the chill set in. So after five years as First Minister, and an astonishing 18 as SNP leader, is Alex Salmond losing his touch?  

ALEX Salmond appeared on US TV last night to promote his vision for independence. The First Minister was on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, as part of a series of special programmes filmed by the Cumbernauld-born star during a recent trip back to ...  

Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie seized on the comments from Lord Leveson to call on Mr Salmond to make a statement to the Scottish Parliament about his News International links and to answer questions about whether he has been a victim of phone hacking.  

THE SNP suffered a bitter blow yesterday when they failed to take control of Alex Salmond’s local council. Aberdeenshire will be run by a Tory-led coalition. They joined forces with the Lib Dems and most of the independent councillors elected last week.  

Scotland and Norway could make a huge contribution to Europe's green energy targets, the first minister has said. Alex Salmond highlighted the renewables links between the two countries during a visit to Norway. Work is under way to link hydro ...  

THE SNP suffered a bitter blow yesterday when they failed to take control of Alex Salmond’s local council. Aberdeenshire will be run by a Tory-led coalition. They joined forces with the Lib Dems and most of the independent councillors elected last week.  

The Scottish government says it will continue to investigate the Lockerbie bombing that killed 270 people even though the only man convicted over the case is dead.First Minister Alex Salmond said in a statement Sunday that the Lockerbie investigation remains live and Scottish officials are cooperating with the new Libyan authorities in their investigations.Salmond said prosecutors have always believed that Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, whose death...  

BBC NewsAlex Salmond launches Queen of Scots appBBC NewsFirst Minister Alex Salmond has unveiled a smartphone app celebrating the Queen's reign in Scotland. The free app, being released to coincide with the Diamond Jubilee, aims to help people learn more about significant Scots milestones.Salmond praises 60-year royal reignThe Press AssociationChance to send Jubilee messageBasingstoke GazettePicture preview: Diamond Geezer, iconography of the...  

COMEBACK MP George Galloway is planning to tackle Alex Salmond over the future of Scotland. Galloway – fresh from his second sensational return to Westminster – says the First Minister has looked like Rangers maestro Jim Baxter in recent years ...  

AN oil services company has announced it will create 500 jobs at its operations in the north east. Aker Solutions, a global firm headquartered in Norway, already has 2,700 employees at its bases in Dyce and Portlethen, near Aberdeen. The firm said the jobs ...  

SCOTTISH Labour leader Johann Lamont yesterday accused Alex Salmond of floating a possible second question on further devolution as part of the independence referendum because he “fears” he won’t win the vote to leave the UK. Lamont, speaking at a ...  

ALEX Salmond will this week embark on the biggest gamble of his political career as he launches the campaign for a "Yes" vote in the independence referendum, knowing defeat would shatter the SNP and cut short his tenure as First Minister.  

Alex Salmond said his visit will also focus on creating new jobs in the oil, gas and fish industries. Norway has become increasingly important to Scotland’s economy and has moved from being its tenth largest export market in 2007 to sixth in 2010.  

The Scottish first minister is to travel to Norway this week in a bid to forge closer links over green energy. Alex Salmond said his visit would also focus on creating new jobs in the oil, gas and fish industries. Norway is Scotland's sixth ...  

Alex Salmond is hoping today's council elections present the SNP with a political springboard that increases his chances of winning the independence referendum.  

PRIME Minister David Cameron has caved in to pressure from Alex Salmond over the date of a referendum on Scottish independence. First Minister Alex Salmond has said he wants it to be held in the autumn of 2014. But the Tory leader had insisted it must be ...  

The First Minister will travel to Norway this week in a bid to forge closer links over green energy. Alex Salmond said his visit will also focus on creating new jobs in the oil, gas and fish industries. Norway has become increasingly important to Scotland ...  

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Repeated glaciations, which covered the entire land-mass of modern Scotland, destroyed any traces of human habitation that may have existed before the Mesolithic period. It is believed that the first post-glacial groups of hunter-gatherers ...  

FIRST Minister Alex Salmond has defended the SNP’s leader in Glasgow ahead of the crunch election in the city on Thursday, saying she was a “great woman” with a community focus after a series of gaffes. Allison Hunter has admitted that she had not ...  

Alex Salmond has insisted the Scottish National party won a "remarkable" victory in last week's council elections after gaining the highest number of votes of all the parties competing in the contests. This is the first time in the SNP's history ...  

Alex Salmond has insisted the Scottish National party won a "remarkable" victory in last week's council elections after gaining the highest number of votes of all the parties competing in the contests. This is the first time in the SNP's history it has won ...  

FIRST Minister Alex Salmond repeated the SNP’s flagship pledge to continue with a five-year council tax freeze during a local election campaign visit in Edinburgh today. Mr Salmond, speaking on the the last full day of campaigning ahead of polling day ...  

ALEX Salmond will launch his party’s campaign for Scottish independence later this month claiming he is still on track in his efforts to win secession from the UK following last week’s local government elections. Despite the disappointment of failing ...  

ALEX Salmond will launch his party’s campaign for Scottish independence later this month claiming he is still on track in his efforts to win secession from the UK following last week’s local government elections. Despite the disappointment of failing ...  

THe proposed shake-up of Scotland’s regiments, which could see many famous names disappear, has been branded a “calamity” by Alex Salmond, who accused the coalition of an “arrogant” approach. He revealed that Holyrood ministers wrote to the UK ...  

ALEX SALMOND has praised the Queen’s 60 years of “unparalleled” service to Scotland. The First Minister said her affection for the country was returned by Scots of all ages. He spoke as the Diamond Jubilee was marked by a military march in Edinburgh ...  

First Minister Alex Salmond's parliamentary aide has been ordered to apologise to MSPs for showing "discourtesy" to parliament. Backbench MSP Joan McAlpine failed to turn up in the chamber for a third time during her ministerial questions slot. She was ...  

Telegraph.co.ukAlex Salmond hopes council elections give him referendum 'springboard'Telegraph.co.ukAlex Salmond is hoping today's council elections present the SNP with a political springboard that increases his chances of winning the independence referendum. By Simon Johnson, Scottish Political Editor Although the First Minister has been keen to ...Scottish council elections: Party leaders cast votes as polling opensScotsmanLondon mayor and...  

BERGEN, Norway, May 16 (UPI) -- A high-voltage interconnector between Scotland and Norway can help forge a powerful renewable energy alliance between the nations, a Scottish leader says. Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, speaking Monday in ...  

US tycoon Donald Trump has written to First Minister Alex Salmond, warning him Scotland can "never" become independent under his leadership because wind farms will destroy the country's tourism industry. Mr Trump, who opposes plans for an offshore wind ...  

First Minister Alex Salmond is set to face questions at Holyrood over his ... His relationship with the News Corporation chairman was questioned again on Tuesday, in light of a House of Commons report which said Mr Murdoch was not "a fit person" to run ...  

Prime Minister David Cameron has appeared to concede the date of a referendum on Scottish independence. First Minister Alex Salmond has said he wants it to be held in the autumn of 2014. Speaking at a reception at the Scotland Office in London ...  

SCOTTISH secretary Michael Moore has said that the UK government does not view the SNP’s planned date for the independence referendum as a “barrier” to a deal with Alex Salmond on holding the vote. The Lib Dem cabinet minister’s intervention comes ...  

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond today denied any wrong-doing over the BSkyB takeover bid and insisted he would be "delighted" to appear before the Leveson Inquiry. The SNP leader dismissed claims made in an email from a senior figure at News ...  

First Minister Alex Salmond met Mr Leroy during a visit to Norwegian capital Oslo, where they discussed the firm's five-year investment plan. Mr Salmond said he is determined to support the industry, which employs more than 2,100 people in Scotland directly.  

Why did the SNP make Glasgow their key target? In our PB prediction poll a couple of weeks ago a reasonable majority of participants said that the SNP would win control of the city of Glasgow. That was understandable given the hype that was coming from north of the border. For weeks this has been [...]  

The Scottish first minister, Alex Salmond, has denied acting as an "undercover lobbyist" for Rupert Murdoch and his media empire. The Scottish Nationalist party leader said on Saturday that his relationship with Rupert Murdoch was "good and ...  

First Minister Alex Salmond has been accused of trying to "cover up ... Scottish Labour's parliamentary business manager Paul Martin said: "Given the sensitivities around senior politicians' dealings with media executives in light of the ...  

Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond will appears on "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" on Tuesday, May 15, 2012, according to a May 15 announcement from CBS Television Network.  Salmond conducted his first American talk show ...  

“When everybody is having to tighten their belts, he could save the public purse a considerable sum of money if he followed the lead of David Cameron and Gordon Brown.” Prime Ministers were originally awarded the special pension to ensure residents of ...  

SCOTLAND’S economy will be transformed and communities reindustrialised by offshore clean energy, First Minister Alex Salmond said today. • Alex Salmond reiterates pledge to generate all Scotland’s energy from renewables by 2020 • Renewables ...  

FIRST Minister Alex Salmond launched the SNP's local election manifesto today and rejected criticism that the SNP intend to use the polls as a springboard for their independence campaign. Mr Salmond also pledged that SNP councillors would maintain the ...  

Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond described his relationship with Rupert Murdoch as "good and business-like" today as he fended off Labour criticism of his links to the media magnate.Related StoriesChief constable quits in protest at plans for elected commissionersMax Mosley: 'News International has blackmailed MPs and others. Leveson must hear the truth'Lord Justice Leveson rebuffs Jeremy Hunt hearing requestIain Duncan Smith attacks...  

The app is one of series of initiatives in Scotland to mark Queen Elizabeth’s 60th year on the throne and was announced by the First Minister as he watched a Royal military march in Edinburgh alongside the Duke of Rothesay as Prince Charles is known in Scotland.  

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond says there was no impropriety in his dealings with the Murdochs over their takeover of BSkyB He insists he only had his country's best interests at heart and could not have influenced the bid anyway.  

Alex Salmond will unveil two monuments by local artist Gordon Muir. The First Minister said: "The Forth Bridge is perhaps the single most inspirational structure ever to have been built in Scotland. As a pioneering, supremely practical but also very ...  

Alex Salmond will unveil two monuments by local artist Gordon Muir. The First Minister said: "The Forth Bridge is perhaps the single most inspirational structure ever to have been built in Scotland. As a pioneering, supremely practical but also very ...  

FIRST Minister Alex Salmond was tainted with Murdoch sleaze last night after the media baron called him “an amusing guy”. Murdoch’s praise kept Salmond on the back foot on a day when both he and under-fire UK Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt were ...  

Ruth Davidson, his Tory counterpart, said Mr Salmond has “a duty to be accountable to the Scottish Parliament.” One of Holyrood’s existing committees could stage an inquiry into phone hacking, but Mr Salmond can easily block this because SNP MSPs ...  

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond today denied any wrongdoing or impropriety ... Allen, 36, was arrested in south Leeds and is being held on suspicion of murder in connection with the deaths.  

ONE of Alex Salmond's closest aides has been forced to apologise after missing a scheduled parliamentary appearance because she was having lunch with the First Minister. Joan McAlpine, Mr Salmond's parliamentary liaison officer, was due to ask ministers a ...  

ALEX Salmond will give evidence to the Leveson Inquiry on press standards next month, he told Holyrood yesterday. But the First Minister refused to say if he was a victim of phone hacking, telling MSPs the best place to discuss the matter is at the inquiry.  

ALEX Salmond came under pressure over phone hacking yesterday after he repeatedly refused to disclose whether he had been a victim of News of the World journalists and ruled out a Scottish inquiry into the practice. The First Minister faced claims of ...  

Lamont said: “Five days since Salmond’s secret lobbying ... Salmond has also repeatedly refused to publish correspondence between Stagecoach tycoon and SNP backer Brian Souter and ministers. The Government insist that Souter is a big SNP donor, who ...  

ALEX Salmond’s top aide was forced to make a humiliating apology ... Along with Special Adviser Malcolm Fleming the pair were seen drinking glasses of wine, including a Pinot Grigio Della Venezie Operetto Garganega costing more than £15 a bottle.  

NICOLA STURGEON insists there was "emphatically and unequivocally" no link between Alex Salmond's discussions with News Corporation over proposals to take over BSkyB, and the Scottish Sun's decision to back the SNP.  

A DATE has been set for Alex Salmond to appear before the the Leveson Inquiry into press standards next month as the First Minister repeatedly refused to say whether he has been a victim of phone hacking. Mr Salmond’s proposed date for giving evidence to ...  

THE Deputy First Minister today rejected suggestions of any link between Alex Salmond’s discussions with News Corporation over BSkyB, and the Scottish Sun newspaper’s decision to back the SNP. Nicola Sturgeon also said the failure to disclose a meeting ...  

ALEX SALMOND was yesterday accused of treating Holyrood with ... the more questions it raises and they continue to go unanswered.” Scots Tory leader Ruth Davidson said: “Was he hacked, but has not spoken out because he has something to hide?  

Local election purdah may have meant that First Minister’s Questions were held on a different day of the week and at a different time of day, but it was impossible to avoid a sense of deja vu yesterday. For the second week running, it was Alex Salmond ...  

FIRST Minister Alex Salmond’s preferred wording for the independence referendum question is “unfair” and “biased” towards a Yes vote, according to a damning report by MPs. The Scottish affairs select committee called on all parties to come ...  

Historian Dr David Starkey has compared Scottish first minister Alex Salmond to Nazi German leader Adolf Hitler. "If you think about it, Alex Salmond is a democratic Caledonian Hitler, although some would say Hitler was more democratically elected," he said.  

An aide to Alex Salmond has apologised after she was branded "discourteous" for failing to appear in the Scottish Parliament chamber. South Scotland regional MSP Joan McAlpine had been due to ask a question on health and well-being during the afternoon session.  

ALEX Salmond and his pro-Union opponents engaged in some political cross-dressing today during First Minister Questions, brought forward a day due to the Local Government elections tomorrow. All three of Johann Lamont, Ruth Davidson and Willie Rennie ...  

NICOLA STURGEON insists there was "emphatically and unequivocally" no link between Alex Salmond's discussions with News Corporation over proposals to take over BSkyB, and the Scottish Sun's decision to back the SNP. Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland's Good ...  

Alex Salmond yesterday moved to block a parliamentary inquiry into phone hacking in Scotland after refusing to endorse a report by MPs that concluded Rupert Murdoch is not a "fit person" to run his media empire.  

Talks on the staging of the independence referendum should resume between governments, the Scottish Secretary has said. Michael Moore called for further meetings with First Minister Alex Salmond on the day the Scottish Government referendum consultation ...  

SNP leader has held more than two dozen meetings with press baron, according to documents released in AugustThe burgeoning friendship between Alex Salmond and Rupert Murdoch has been likened to a bromance. The men have exchanged admiring letters, held private dinner dates and received offers to sporting events.Murdoch, normally known for his dry cynicism, has released tweets lauding Salmond's radicalism and his political skills. He was, said...  

When in a tight corner, Alex Salmond has an interesting technique of issuing soundbites which respond to allegations that nobody was making, in order to declare the matter closed. Maybe, in the light of recent experience, Scotland’s broadcasters will get ...  

Donald Trump claims Alex Salmond's hopes for independence are "gone with the wind". In his latest attack against the First Minister, the US tycoon claims that Scotland will "never" gain independence under his leadership because wind farms are destroying ...  

FIRST Minister Alex Salmond addresses the Institute of Directors Convention at the O2 Arena in London this week in what could mark a turning point in his relationship with big business. The meeting is one of the major set-piece events in the business ...  

A popular historian has been condemned for comparing Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond with Adolf Hitler.Related StoriesTalks will lead to 'substantial' ECHR reforms, says Justice Secretary Kenneth ClarkeClarke clashes with president of ECHR over reformsQatada appeal 'just in time' says Council of EuropeAttempts to block 'granny tax' failClarke clashes with EU court chief over reforms  

A popular historian has been condemned for comparing First Minister Alex Salmond with Adolf Hitler. Dr David Starkey told an audience convened by The Bow Group on Wednesday night that Mr Salmond is a "Caledonian Hitler". According to the Huffington Post ...  

A close aide to Alex Salmond has revealed she was a suspected victim in the News of the World hacking scandal, adding a further twist to the row over Scottish first minister's alleged links to News Corporation. In her weekly column for the Daily Record ...  

First Minister Alex Salmond has defended his push for a "renewables revolution" in a letter to US businessman and outspoken wind farm opponent Donald Trump. Mr Trump is angry at plans to build offshore turbines near the site of his Aberdeenshire golf course.  

Alex Salmond is set to launch the SNP's manifesto for May’s council elections with a pledge that his party will "put the people first". The Nationalist manifesto will include a commitment to continue the Council Tax freeze, as well as a promise for more ...  

So Rupert Murdoch denies he went to see Black Watch, Alex Salmond having fixed his tickets. But the National Theatre of Scotland said he didOf the many curious things that have happened in the world of culture while I have been away for five months writing a book on Roman Britain (Jeremy Hunt's gradual self-immolation; the suggestion to disband the culture department, etc etc) the footnote to Leveson that is the question of whether Alex...  

ALEX Salmond’s referendum consultation was last night facing fresh accusations of Nationalist bias when it was claimed that the Scottish Government’s website had been set up to “skew” the responses. With the consultation due to close today, Labour ...  

FIRST Minister Alex Salmond yesterday waded into the row over controversial proposals to scrap the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. The Paisley Daily Express last week told how the Tory/Lib Dem coalition in London is considering bringing down the axe on ...  

ALEX SALMOND today said he has learned a lesson in dealing with the rich and powerful after the row surrounding his link with Rupert Murdoch and Donald Trump. First Minister says he “doesn’t care” what Trump thinks after the US developer claimed he ...  

Alex Salmond has refused to distance himself from Rupert Murdoch despite evidence that Jack McConnell and his children had their mobile phones hacked while the Labour leader was Scotland's First Minister.  

ALEX SALMOND’S office made repeated calls to Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt to try to arrange a conversation between him and the First Minister, it has emerged. It was suggested during the Leveson Inquiry last week that Mr Salmond might have been prepared ...  

First Minister Alex Salmond has been accused of withholding news that a major wind farm project in Scotland had been scrapped. In December, Korean firm Doosan pulled its plans to open a research facility in Renfrew and a factory. Labour leader Johann ...  

I've written a column for Scotland on Sunday today looking at the SNP's transformation into a proper national party: [T]wo SNP approaches have helped the party attain its present supremacy. They can be labelled the Hampden and Murrayfield strategies. They are different but complementary, designed to appeal to different branches of the electorate. The Hampden strategy appeals to working-class and lower-to-middle-class voters. It is populist...  

First Minister Alex Salmond accused the Westminster Government of “arrogance”. And Labour’s Jim McGovern MP, said it would be a “terrible mistake” to scrap the names of theBlack Watch and other famous units. The Tory-led Government want to axe ...  

The Scottish Secretary has indicated that he intends to lock horns soon with the Scottish Government on the independence referendum. Michael Moore called for further meetings with First Minister Alex Salmond as Scottish Government’s referendum ...  

Labour business manager Paul Martin MSP said: "Kevin Pringle is Alex Salmond's head of media relations. He has spent his working life in media relations. Yet the Scottish Government expect us to believe he had no role in managing the media relationship ...  

The First Minister rejected a united call from the leaders of the three main opposition parties for MSPs to investigate the extent of hacking north of the Border, arguing it was not necessary. Evidence has emerged this week that both the mobile phones of ...  

ALEX Salmond last night came under renewed pressure to answer questions about his dealings with Rupert Murdoch. Rivals said the First Minister could no longer use his forthcoming appearance at the Leveson Inquiry as a “sleekit” excuse to dodge ...  

All the main opposition party leaders used First Minister’s Questions to ask him whether he had been targeted but he refused to respond until he gives evidence on oath to the Leveson Inquiry on June 13. He continued to claim that MSPs could not conduct ...  

Mr Watson's call for a Scottish hacking inquiry came after he questioned the conviction of former MSP Tommy Sheridan of committing perjury during his defamation action against the News of the World. Former Scottish first minister Lord McConnell ...  

Scotland’s first minister, Alex Salmond, has said the Economist magazine will “rue the day” it published a front-cover image calling Scotland impoverished. [...] Salmond wants to hold a referendum on independence in autumn 2014. The Scottish National party leader said the front cover displays a sort of “Bullingdon Club humour” of “sneering condescensions”. “It just insults every single [...]  

As was to be expected, opposition leaders at Holyrood are demanding a statement from the first minister anent the Westminster finding that Rupert Murdoch is "not a fit person" to run a major international conglomerate. The finding itself has ...  

All the main opposition party leaders used First Minister’s Questions to ask him whether he had been targeted but he refused to respond until he gives evidence on oath to the Leveson Inquiry on June 13. He continued to claim that MSPs could not conduct ...  

Johann Lamont, the Scottish Labour lader, said the First Minister had had an “infatuation with very rich men” She also claimed the SNP leader was a “sucker”. She turned on him over his relationship with News Corporation chairman Rupert Murdoch.  

LABOUR leader Ed Miliband accused Alex Salmond of acting as an “undercover lobbyist” for Rupert Murdoch, as the First Minister was urged to answer more questions about his links to the media mogul. Mr Miliband said this week’s revelations about the ...  

ALEX Salmond was last night accused of bringing his office into disrepute after he apparently offered to lobby the UK Government over Rupert Murdoch's failed BSkyB takeover.  

ALEX SALMOND has been accused of trying to “wriggle away” from the SNP’s historic opposition to NATO membership in a bid to allay fears about Scottish independence. Senior SNP figures believe they can do a U-turn over the military alliance while ...  

Scotland's first minister, Alex Salmond, has said the Economist magazine will "rue the day" it published a front-cover image calling Scotland impoverished. The latest edition uses a map of the country, renamed "Skintland", with placenames such as "Glasgone ...  

LABOUR leader Ed Miliband accused Alex Salmond of acting as an “undercover lobbyist” for Rupert Murdoch, as the First Minister was urged to answer more questions about his links to the media mogul.  

ALEX Salmond is being urged to address the issue of record overcrowding in Scotland's jails, after it emerged that the head of the prison service felt it necessary to send the First Minister two written warnings about the problem in recent months.  

HISTORIAN David Starkey has been accused of “offensive nonsense”, after comparing Alex Salmond to Adolf Hitler, in a bizarre rant against the First Minister. The controversial academic also argued that, for the SNP leader, “the English, like the Jews ...  

Telegraph.co.ukAlex Salmond's reason for lobbying Jeremy Hunt unravelsTelegraph.co.ukAlex Salmond has failed to explain the benefits to the Scottish economy of him being the world's only political leader still enjoying a close relationship with Rupert Murdoch. By Simon Johnson, Scottish Political Editor The First Minister insisted he ...From family roots to jobs – Alex Salmond and Rupert Murdoch's meetingsScotsmanAlex Salmond pressed over...  

Left Foot ForwardVote 2012: A Lab-SNP draw in Scotland, and a “frontlash” towards Labour in WalesLeft Foot ForwardAs Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont declared local election results across Scotland showed the “tide is going out” on SNP leader Alex Salmond, while the first minister himself argued the results represented a “great win” for the SNP.Politics News: Alex Salmond's biographer on turbulent few weeks for Alex SalmondScottish Daily...  

Labour’s Parliamentary Business Manager Paul Martin said the latest revelations are “truly shocking.” “Coming hard on the heels of the news that Jack McConnell and his family had their phones hacked, this highlights again the necessity of the ...  

The First Minister’s dealings with the News Corporation boss were overshadowed by media interest in Jeremy Hunt and the theatricality of Donald Trump’s appearance at ... if not to curry favour with the media baron? Another contradiction is this ...  

Ruth Davidson, his Scottish Tory counterpart, added: “We see the evidence of the favourable newspaper coverage Alex Salmond received after he offered his lobbying service to Murdoch, but the First Minister is asking us just to take his word that he ...  

ALEX Salmond has set up a commission to plan the economy of an independent Scotland. Four of the First Minister’s council of economic advisers will map out a “macro economic framework”. The move follows criticism that Salmond has presented two ...  

The Deputy Prime Minister had backed calls for Holyrood to hold its own inquiry into the phone hacking scandal. Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader, spoke out the day after a Commons report described media tycoon Rupert Murdoch as "not a fit person" to ...  

Alex Salmond, Scotland's first minister, has emerged as a significant player in the Leveson inquiry. This is a result of the release of 163 pages of emails from News Corporation that have publicised the extent of its contacts with the Scottish government.  

Donald Trump said Scotland's First Minister led him to believe during a dinner in New York that there would be no offshore wind turbines near his golf course. The US tycoon said Alex Salmond, like his predecessor Jack McConnell, gave the impression that ...  

Furious rivals said the SNP have broken rules by announcing a £23million package to offset council tax benefits cuts so close to the May 3 poll. Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie called on Mr Salmond to suspend his Local Government Minister Derek Mackay as the ...  

It was also discovered for the first time that early Bronze Age people placed flowers in their graves. Scotland may have been part of a Late Bronze Age maritime trading-networked culture called the Atlantic Bronze Age that also included the ...  

Mr Salmond indicated he will continue his close relationship with the media mogul after police visited his predecessor as First Minister, now Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale, to state that he was another of the News of the World’s victims. Lord ...  

Alex Salmond, Scottish National Party leader Credit: Reuters The SNP, following their historic Scottish Parliamentary victory last May have the city in their sights, their leader Alex Salmond clearly believing they still have the momentum.  

LABOUR leader Johann Lamont has admitted the SNP is set to make gains in next month’s council elections – but warned it will be a further “step towards separation”. Handing Alex Salmond control of town halls around Scotland would be like leaving ex ...  

THE latest edition of The Economist, in which post-independent Scotland is labelled “Skintland”, has provoked an angry backlash with the First Minister Alex Salmond claiming that the parody “insults every single community north of the Border”.  

OPPOSITION leaders in Scotland have united to demand Alex Salmond make a statement about his relationship with the Murdoch media empire. Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats all insisted there were questions the first minister needed to ...  

MICHAEL Moore last night called for urgent talks with Alex Salmond over the response to the Scottish Government's consultation on independence. The Scottish Secretary, who wants to meet Mr Salmond "in the next few weeks", said the fact that 19,000 replies ...  

ALEX Salmond made a secret wind farm deal with Donald Trump ... But he repeated his threat to pull the plug on a planned 450-bedroom hotel, to be at the heart of his £750million scheme, if the turbines are given the go-ahead. A spokesman for Salmond ...  

ALEX Salmond offered to lobby UK ministers in support of News International’s takeover of BSkyB “whenever we need him to”, according to e-mails released to the Leveson Inquiry yesterday. The First Minister was accused of “hawking himself around ...  

ScotsmanLeveson inquiry: Alex Salmond was 'at NI's disposal' over BSkyB bidScotsmanNEWS International advisers have claimed Alex Salmond was available to lobby the UK Government “whenever we need him to” in order to press home their takeover of BSkyB, the Leveson inquiry has been told. During a dramatic day of evidence from James ...James Murdoch met Cameron 12 timesThe Press AssociationJames Murdoch at the Leveson inquiry - live coverageThe...  

Alex Salmond said his forthcoming appearance at the Leveson ... Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson asked if Mr Salmond had been hacked at First Minister's Questions following a statement by Lord Leveson that "he wasn't in any way seeking to ...  

A JOBS summit will be held to tackle rising unemployment among women, the First Minister announced today. Alex Salmond said the issue is "one of the most pressing" in an address to the Scottish Trades Union Congress in Inverness. Official figures showed ...  

The company was most recently lauded in an Executive press release last week announcing a visit by John Swinney, the SNP Finance Minister, to Japan and South Korea. Opposition parties last night accused the SNP of misleading MSPs after it was finally made ...  

Mr Murdoch, whose grandfather was Scottish, said the issue of Scottish independence was “a little emotional” for him but he was “attracted by the idea, but I'm not convinced”. The Scottish Sun backed Mr Salmond for leader, but remained neutral on ...  

Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond is described as an "amusing guy" by Rupert Murdoch. Credit: REUTERS/Russell Cheyne Rupert Murdoch has described his relationship with SNP leader Alex Salmond as "warm." "He's an amusing guy," he said.  

Alex Salmond was available to lobby the UK Goverment on News Corporation's behalf "whenever we need him to", the Leveson Inquiry into press ethics has heard. During James Murdoch's testimony it was claimed that the First Minister offered to lobby Culture ...  

The email traffic of James Murdoch's lobbyist Frederic Michel describes Alex Salmond's willingness to help promote the Sky bid, and Salmond's apparently linked request to Murdoch to "smooth the way" for the Sun newspaper in Scotland to support ...  

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But First Minister Alex Salmond said he was pleased with the results ... leaving the party with only 56 seats. In the Pentland Hills ward in Edinburgh, the party was humiliated after seeing its candidate out-polled by a man dressed as a penguin.  

Nicola Sturgeon said she was revolted by the News International phone hacking scandal but the First Minister could not distance himself from the media mogul on the basis of “who you like and who you don’t like.” However, her apparent antipathy ...  

The Daily Telegraph can disclose that SNP ministers are to give a specialist contractor four months to analyse the responses they receive – a period that is longer than the actual consultation itself. An advert tendering for the work states that the ...  

Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond described his relationship with Rupert Murdoch as "good and business-like" as he fended off Labour criticism of his links to the media magnate. Rupert Murdoch and Alex Salmond in 2007. Credit: REUTERS/David ...  

ALEX Salmond mocked Labour leader Johann Lamont after she predicted the Nats will make gains in the elections. He taunted his rival who this week appeared to have thrown in the towel over her party’s chances on May 3. Mr Salmond said: “I heard the ...  

Opposition parties said the system had been “designed for abuse” because it allows each SNP follower to make multiple submissions backing the First Minister’s preferred referendum timing, wording and second question. The SNP has an army of ‘Cyber ...  

LAST month, First Minister Alex Salmond set out the SNP’s target for the local government elections: “Our aim is to win more votes and more seats than any other political party across Scotland.” I wouldn’t often bet against Salmond – yesterday he ...  

ALEX SALMOND had another Scottish National party yesterday after backing the winner in the big race at Ayr. And it was Eck 1 Alex 0 as the First Minister roared home Scottish-trained Merigo to land the Scottish National – while Sir Alex Ferguson’s hope ...  

A few months ago Donald Trump declared that he would take all possible action to prevent the Scottish government developing wind farms within sight of his £750 million golf resort in Aberdeenshire. He promised to spend as much as £10 million ...  

Mr Salmond denied he had lobbied on behalf of the Murdoch empire, and, in an interview with STV News’ Westminster Correspondent Harry Smith, also denied he had even offered to use any influence he had in Westminster. He said: “I offered to put forward ...