Key dates in Alex Salmond’s career
The former first minister has led the SNP twice and been elected to both the UK and Scottish parliaments.
Key dates in the career of Scotland’s former first minister Alex Salmond.
December 31, 1954: Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond is born in Linlithgow, West Lothian – the same town that was the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots.
1973: Joins the SNP while a student at St Andrews University.
June 1987: Elected to Westminster in the general election, winning the seat of Banff and Buchan from the Conservatives.
March 1988: Less than a year after being elected, Mr Salmond makes headlines when he disrupts chancellor Nigel Lawson’s budget speech in the House of Commons. The incident results in him being suspended from the House for a week.
September 1990: Becomes leader of the SNP for the first time.
May 1999: As well as being the MP for Banff and Buchan, Mr Salmond is elected as MSP for the same constituency in the first elections to the devolved Scottish Parliament. He becomes leader of the opposition, with Labour joining forces with the Liberal Democrats in a coalition government.
July 2000: Mr Salmond announces he is to stand down as SNP leader to concentrate on Westminster. He is succeeded in the post by John Swinney.
June 2004: After Mr Swinney resigns as SNP leader, Mr Salmond says he has no intention of returning – but later announces he will stand for the leadership, telling reporters: “I changed my mind.” He is elected party leader with Nicola Sturgeon his deputy.
May 2011: Mr Salmond leads the SNP to a landslide victory in the Scottish Parliament election, with the party winning 69 of the 129 seats.
2012: Mr Salmond formally launches the Scottish Government’s consultation on plans to hold an independence referendum and later signs the Edinburgh Agreement with prime minister David Cameron, paving the way for the ballot.
May 2015: Mr Salmond returns to Westminster as MP for Gordon in an SNP landslide of Scottish seats less than a year after the independence referendum. He becomes the party’s foreign affairs spokesman.
August 2017: Mr Salmond stages a chatshow during the Edinburgh Fringe, featuring guests including Brexit Secretary David Davis. After a sold-out run, the show tours Scotland before Mr Salmond announces it is to become a TV show on Russian broadcaster RT.
August 2018: The former first minister denies claims of harassment made against him and launches a court action against the Scottish Government to contest the complaints process that was activated against him.
