Britain Obit Alex Salmond

LONDON — Alex Salmond, the former first minister of Scotland who advocated for Scotland’s independence from the U.K. for decades, has died. He was 69.

Anas Sarwar, leader of Scottish Labour, confirmed Salmond’s death on Saturday and stated that Salmond was a “central figure in politics for over three decades.”

Salmond, as the then leader of the Scottish National Party, spearheaded the independence campaign in the 2014 referendum but lost, securing 45% of the vote.

Salmond resigned from the SNP in 2018 following accusations of sexual harassment. He subsequently formed a new party, called Alba.

Salmond served as first minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014, and was leader of the Scottish National Party on two occasions, from 1990 to 2000, and from 2004 to 2014.

Former U.K. Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated that 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,” Sunak said on X. “May he rest in peace.”