‘Great personal sorrow’ that Salmond will not see an independent Scotland, says Flynn
The SNP’s Westminster leader has described his “great personal sorrow” that Alex Salmond “will not live to see an independent Scotland.”
Stephen Flynn led tributes at Westminster to the former first minister, who died on Saturday aged 69.
During his tribute in the commons, Flynn recalled the night that Salmond lost his commons seat during the 2017 general election.
“It is a moment that I will never forget”, Flynn said, “not because of the nature of his defeat but for what happened next.
“Within just a few moments Alex Salmond took to the podium and gave a speech which despite the despair that all of us in the SNP felt in the room that night, made us feel 10 feet tall.”
Flynn described Salmond as “the most talented, formidable and consequential politician of his generation”.
He added: “It’s of great personal sorrow to me that Alex Salmond will not live to see Scotland become an independent nation.
“The challenge for all of us now in the nationalist movement is to make sure that we put good his legacy and deliver the future that he so badly fought for throughout his distinguished parliamentary career.”
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