Body of former first minister Alex Salmond expected to arrive in Scotland

The body of the former first minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond, is expected to be flown into Scotland later today.

It emerged on Thursday that businessman Sir Tom Hunter paid for a chartered flight to repatriate the body of the Alba Party leader from North Macedonia, where he died of a heart attack on Saturday.

The flight is due to take off at about 11am, landing in Aberdeen at about 1.45pm.

The former first minister’s family, along with Alba Party acting leader Kenny MacAskill, will be there to receive the coffin, which will be taken by hearse to the family home.

Mr Salmond died aged 69 after suffering a heart attack in the city of Ohrid, where he was attending a conference.

Tory MP Sir David Davis, a friend of the former SNP leader, had pushed for the RAF to bring his body back.

The Alba Party, which Mr Salmond formed in 2021 and which he led until his death, confirmed on Wednesday that a private citizen had stepped in to pay for a chartered flight.

Sir Tom said on Thursday: “Whilst he and I disagreed on some of his ambitions, Alex Salmond devoted his life to Scotland and the Scottish people and as such he, and importantly his family, deserved the dignity and privacy of a private return to the home of his birth.

“Our deepest sympathy and thoughts are with his family at this time.

“To be clear, I remain resolutely apolitical.”