Ministers under pressure to use RAF to repatriate Alex Salmond's body

Ministers are under growing pressure to authorise the use of an RAF plane to repatriate Alex Salmond's body from North Macedonia.

The former Scottish first minister died suddenly on Saturday at a conference in the Balkans country to shock politicians across the UK.

Sir David Davis, the veteran Tory MP, is among those to have pushed the Foreign Office to use RAF planes to bring home his close friend's body.

Mr Salmond's allies in the Alba Party are also urging the UK Government to allow the 'appropriate means' of repatriating him.

They today hit out at a 'delay' in authorising the use of the RAF to bring home Mr Salmond's body.

The lack of action was contrasted to Labour ministers reportedly lobbying for pop star Taylor Swift to get a personal police escort during recent concerts in London.

It is understood that, under normal protocol, the RAF will not automatically repatriate Mr Salmond's body as he was a private citizen at the time of his death.

But Government sources said that talks remain ongoing and the Foreign Office is engaging with Mr Salmond's family.

Asked about calls for the RAF to fly home the 69-year-old's body, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'The Foreign Office is working with local Macedonian authorities.

'As things stand we are obviously prioritising supporting the family. It is right that we allow that to continue. So I cannot get into more detail at this moment in time.'

Sir David has pushed the Foreign Office to use RAF planes to repatriate Mr Salmond's body with 'both dignity and expedition'.

'They've been listening,' he said of the Government. 'But I know there are practicalities, there aren't just aircraft sitting on a runway ready to take off.

'But they're working on making it happen one way or another, whether it's an RAF flight or a civil flight.'

Mr Salmond was leader of the SNP for more than a decade between 2004 and 2014, but he later went on to found and lead the Alba Party in 2021.

Chris McEleny, general secretary of the Alba Party, has travelled to North Macedonia to support efforts to help repatriate his former party leader.

Speaking to The National newspaper, Mr McElny said the UK Government not authorising the RAF to bring home Mr Salmond 'is no way to treat a former first minister'.

'All of them seem to be open and accepting that this is an appropriate means of repatriating him, he said.

'So I'm not quite sure what the delay is because when you are the UK Government it is as simple as saying 'get it done'. So just say 'get it done'.'

He added: 'He's a former first minister of Scotland and someone that means a lot to people in Scotland.

'I don't see how it can be logical that you can have the King of the country praising Alex Salmond's fair years of public service, along with the PM and everyone.

'But he's to somehow wait a matter of weeks in a foreign land to then try and find his way back via commercial airlines.

'I don't think that's fitting and it's not appropriate'.

Mr McEleny also referred to the ongoing row over Swift's security arrangements while she was in London for her series of concerts this summer.

'I just can't understand how we could have a situation that the UK Government are willing to pay for private security for a Taylor Swift concert,' he said.

'They want to see that there's a respect agenda in terms of how they treat Scotland, but they won't assist you in Scotland's former first minister.

'I hope that this is just Whitehall civil service bureaucracy that's delaying things, and it's not a political decision.'

Swift was given taxpayer-funded protection after senior Labour figures reportedly urged the Met Police to give the US pop star special protection for two of her Eras tour concerts in August.

London mayor Sadiq Khan and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper received free tickets to Swift's concerts, but both said this was wholly unrelated to the decision.